The 4th summit of Heads of State/Government of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) will be held at Kathmandu in Nepal on August 30 and 31. All member states of BIMSTEC will participate in the Summit. During the two-day Summit, leaders of member states will review progressachieved so far in the areas of cooperation and provide guidance to the futurework of the BIMSTEC. Prior to the Summit, the 19th Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) and the 16th Ministerial Meeting of BIMSTEC will be held on August 28 and 29 in Kathmandu. BIMSTEC is a regional economic bloc comprising 7 member states lyingin the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous regional unity. The group was formed in 1997 and it brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. Nepal is the current chair of BIMSTEC.