BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation will be holding a ministerial meeting on poverty alleviation in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 9. Burma, as a member of BIMSTEC, will attend the meeting, but there is no information yet on which Burmese Minister will be present. According to an official report, senior officials from the member countries will meet in Dhaka a day before the ministerial meeting to prepare the groundwork for the event. A few issues will be discussed at the meeting, including food security, the environment, and climate change. The report also said that the officials meeting will discuss a mechanism for the exchange of information on best practices to tackle poverty, achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and explore ways and means to develop project-based collaboration among the member countries. BIMSTEC was originally established by Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand to promote economic cooperation on June 6, 1997. Burma, Nepal and Bhutan are also current members of the group.