ABSTRACT
After a brief introduction to the genesis of sub-regional cooperation in transport connectivity in South Asia and examining the major characteristics of this sub-region, this chapter seeks to examine the institutional mechanism for cooperation with Asian Development Bank’s SASEC sub-regional programme providing the platform for BBIN work programmes under different joint working groups (JWG) and transport ministers’ meetings. The evolution of JWGs and transport ministers’ work programmes on road connectivity is examined next. The chapter subsequently highlights the salient features of the Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA) that emerged from the transport ministers’ meeting in June 2015. The following section deals with intra-BBIN trade (exports) and assesses the market access frontier of Bhutan and Nepal in the Bangladeshi market. The next section examines the likely gains arising from seamless movement of cargo among BBIN countries. The implications of linking South Asian connectivity with Southeast Asia is examined next. This is followed by a look at the challenges ahead for implementing the BBIN agreement and its protocols. In the concluding section, a possible scenario is built for the sub-region in 2030.
