Dhaka, 15 March 2017 – Shola Taylor, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) praised the government of Bangladesh for their work to make the Internet a safe space for citizens to communicate, conduct business and learn. In a speech at the Digital Bangladesh conference, which took place on 7 – 8 March 2017, Mr Taylor told an audience of over 200 delegates – including the Honourable Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Speaker of the Bangladesh parliament and the Honourable Begum Tarana Halim, State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology– that enhancing cybersecurity was an essential component in the drive to use ICTs to accelerate the country’s economic growth.
“In organising the Digital Bangladesh conference, Bangladesh is taking unequivocal steps to make the Internet not only a safe space for its citizens, but also a trusted and resilient platform for its growing e-economy,” said Mr Taylor. “This is the sort of investment necessary to connect the next billion to the Internet and ensure cyber networks are safe.”
“We are delighted to work with the CTO on Digital Bangladesh,” Mrs Halim told the conference. “It is a much anticipated event enabling cybersecurity players to gather to exchange the latest ideas and research findings on management, technology and policy in cybersecurity.”
“On behalf of the Bangladesh Government, I would like to express my great appreciation to the CTO for arranging such an appropriate workshop at a time when Bangladesh is emerging as a role model of development through ICTs,” added Dr Chaudhury.
Digital Bangladesh has been organised in order to examine cybersecurity, specifically cybercrime and cyber standards, and broadband access as part of Bangladesh’s efforts to develop their ICT capacity for the socio-economic development of the people of Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh National Sustainable Development Strategy 2013 commits to the target of achieving Digital Bangladesh by 2021 with plans to expand e-government related services, enhance education through ICTs, develop digital infrastructure and tackle the digital divide.
Mobile broadband subscriptions in Bangladesh have reached 13 per cent, and hundreds of community telecentres (Union Information & Service Centres) have been established through public-private partnerships across the country to provide information and government services to citizens living in remote areas.
“The CTO are pleased to collaborate with the government of Bangladesh as it works to achieve its ICT ambitions,” said Mr Taylor. “Collaboration on cybersecurity and investment is necessary at a national, regional and international level and I look forward to working across the Commonwealth to ensure ICTs can be used to their full potential.”
For more information, please contact Emma Killick at e.killick@cto.int or +44 20 8600 3813.
About the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation
The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) is the oldest and largest Commonwealth intergovernmental organisation in the field of information and communication technologies. With a diverse membership spanning developed and least developed countries, small island developing states, and more recently also the private sector and civil society, the CTO aims to become a trusted partner for sustainable development for all through ICTs.