During a courtesy meeting with BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey, Dr. Muhammad Yunus suggested hosting a dedicated youth summit during the next BIMSTEC conference in Dhaka, scheduled two years from now. Secretary General Pandey welcomed the proposal, calling the idea “excellent” and assuring it will be pursued with high priority. He also announced preparations are underway for a long-overdue trade ministers’ meeting — the first in 21 years. At the end of the summit, Professor Yunus officially assumed the role of BIMSTEC Chair on behalf of Bangladesh.