The three-day-long 16th Annual Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) concluded on 31st December with the participation of stakeholders in the internet world. The inaugural session was started at a hotel in Dhaka. Mr. Mustafa Jabbar, Hon’ble Minister, Post and Telecommunications Division, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was present as the Chief Guest. Mr. Hasanul Haq Inu, MP, Chairperson, Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum & Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee for Ministry of Information and Broadcasting chaired the session.

Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) works in conjunction with the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (UNIGF). It is a multi-stakeholder platform to engage in Internet governance-related issues. The Theme of the inaugural session was Internet United: Access to Meaningful Connectivity and Social Inclusion.

Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu, Secretary-General, Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum briefed about the background of BIGF and highlighted some of the interventions of BIGF in the previous years. BIGF brings together all stakeholders especially youths in the Internet governance issues, digital divide and discrimination, connectivity for the rural youths whether they represent governments, the private sector or civil society, including the technical and academic community, on an equal basis and through an open and inclusive sustainable and trusted internet process. 

Dr. Md. Rafiqul Matin, Managing Director, Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd. mentioned we are working to establish an inclusive atmosphere in the fields of Science, Engineering and Management for telecommunications and ICT in Bangladesh to gear up government initiatives especially digital Bangladesh for an inclusive society.  

Mr. Md. Nazrul Islam, Head of operations, Carnival Internet pointed out We are enabling a superior digital lifestyle by the touch of a great broadband internet service in the digital era digital age nationwide in which every moment and experience is filled with joy of celebration.

Engr. Pronab Kumar Saha, Deputy Project Director, Info-Sarker Phase-III Project, BCC, ICT Division highlighted that the Government with the vision of providing access to the Internet to rural areas has adopted two different packages to connect 1307 and 1293 unions under internet connectivity under the Info Sarkar- Phase 3 project. It will also cater for the development of network infrastructure & backbone network to all the districts & at the 488-upazila level.

Mr. Rased Mehedi, President, Telecom Reporters' Network Bangladesh & Special Correspondent, The Daily Samakal said the opportunity for all to be meaningfully connected to the Internet, including unserved and underserved communities and those prevented by their gender, digital literacy, or affordability issues from being able to access the internet and its opportunities
Engr. Md. Safaet Hossain, Additional Director, IQAC & Head, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, City University mentioned digital literacy and affordable and inclusive connectivity are very essential in the era of the fourth industrial revolution.

Mr. Fakhruddin Ahmed, Country General Manager (Bangladesh) Cisco Technology Bangladesh Ltd. said  Cisco is working as the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate for coping with the digital world.

Mr. AHM. Bazlur Rahman, Chief Executive Officer, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) & Policy Research Fellow briefed about 16th UN IGF & UN Secretary General’s Road Map for Digital Cooperation. Digital technology is shaping history. But there is also the sense that it is running away with us. Our ability to work together across disciplines and actors, across nations and political divides. We have a collective responsibility to give direction to these technologies so that we maximize benefits and curtail unintended consequences and malicious use.

Taimur Rahman, Chief Corporate & Regulatory Affairs Officer said Banglalink Country's Fastest 4G Sim Now offering higher data transfer rate with the fastest internet of 4G, now upload and transfer all your data faster than ever and promoting government initiatives of Digital Bangladesh.

Mr. Faruq Faisel, Regional Director, South Asia Article 19 said we should emphasize countering misinformation and disinformation from media. Digital literacy is very essential for promoting the issue of intent connectivity and reducing the digital divide.

Brig. Gen. Md. Nasim Parvez, ndc, Director General, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in his speech mentioned some initiatives have been undertaken like fixing the maximum tariff for broadband internet connection. BTRC fixed the tariff after a series of meetings with operators of the International Internet Gateway, Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network, International Terrestrial Cable, and internet service providers as part of the "One Country One Rate". He said the BTRC introduced the "One Country One Rate" tariff to attract foreign investment by boosting coordination among ISPs at the local level and protecting the interests of marginal broadband internet subscribers. Although the number of mobile internet users, in general, is high, broadband internet users of the country's total bandwidth.

Mr. Mustafa Jabbar, Hon’ble Minister, Post and Telecommunications Division, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh spoke in the session and emphasized removing the digital divide and gearing up all initiatives of the government undertaken for Leave No One Behind. The government has planned to bring all the civic amenities of the city to the villages. Under this initiative 'My Village, My City', many aims like road connectivity, internet connection, telecommunication, health center, drainage and waste management have been set up. As promised in the election manifesto of the government, if the facilities of the city are expanded to the villages and rural youth and agri-entrepreneurs are brought under training, productive employment opportunities could help people in rural areas get basic government benefits equally.

Mr. Hasanul Haq Inu, MP, Chairperson, Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum & Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee for Ministry of Information and Broadcasting chaired the session. He said that we need a Digitally Sustainable Plan. The plan is to bring in a new system. To build an inclusive digital society and economy for all, the Internet must be cybersecurity provisions, to ensure human rights is an effective tool to ensure the rights of entrepreneurs in the digital market. Recognition of the Internet as a fundamental right; Implementation as a fundamental right demands time. Ensuring affordable high-speed internet connection on an urgent basis. Ms. Tamanna Mou, Fellow, Bangladesh School of Internet Governance moderated the session.

On the second day, a virtual discussion was held on what is internet governance. Mr. Samiran Gupta, Head in India, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Ms. Shaila Sharmin, System Security Analyst, Information Security, Brac Bank Limited, Mr. Md Jahangir Hossain, Board Member, Internet Society (ISOC) Bangladesh took part in the first session of the discussion. Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu, Secretary-General, Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum moderated the session.

In the second session of the second day, a discussion was held on Introspective of Cyber Threats in an Evolving Technology Landscape, Mr. Sayeef Rahman, CEO, VEOSTR Limited, Ms. Afifa Abbas, Cyber Security Chartered Engineer, Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd., Mr. Iqbal Ahmed, Fellow, Bangladesh School of Internet Governance and Mr. Tawhidur Rahman, Senior Technical Specialist (Digital Security & Diplomacy), Digital Security Agency-NCIRT, BGD e-Gov CIRT, Bangladesh Computer Council, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunication and Information Technology took part in the discussion. Mr. Faisal Ahmed Bhubon, Member Secretary, Youth Internet Governance Forum Bangladesh moderated the session. In the final session Internet Governance, Prospect, and Fellowship Opportunity were discussed. Mr. Shreedeep Rayamajhi, Secretary, Asia Pacific School on Internet Governance & Founder, Learn Internet Governance, Nepal, Mr. Mahee Kirindigoda, Media Secretary to The Governor Central Province Sri Lanka, Chairperson IGF Sri Lanka, Ms. Rilla Gusela Sumisra, Fellow, Asia Pacific School on Internet Governance, Indonesia, Dr. Gnanajeyaraman Rajaram, Professor, Department of Computer science and Engineering, SBM College of Engineering and Technology, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India took part in the discussion. Mr. Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu, Secretary-General, Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum moderated the session.

On the closing day, 31st December, 5 sessions were organized at CIRDAP Auditorium. The first session on Internet Governance and Telemedicine was conducted by Mr. Abdullah Al Mamun, Head of Communication Department, Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB). Dr. Lubna Miriam, MBBS, M. Phil, FCPS, Assistant Professor, Bangladesh Cancer Institute highlighted various topics of telemedicine. Mr. Ataur Rahman Kabul, Head of the Health Department of the Daily Kalerkantha sheds light on how telemedicine has helped us during the Kovid period. Mr. Md. Saleh Uddin Mahmud, Covid Researcher, Indoor Medical Officer, Dhaka Medical College. He took part in the discussion and shared his experiences, mentioning that he served about 6,000 patients during the coveted period.

In the second session KID’s IGF was held on: To spread awareness about the safe usage of the internet, do’s and don’ts of cyberbullying, Aysha Labiba, Moderated the session she emphasized on 5 issues for promoting and protecting the rights for the children. Rituraj Bhowmick said we need to know what to do on the internet, what not to do when to do it, how to do it, as well as privacy and time sense, Zartaj Haque Simra mentioned what is the internet? I need to know how to use it, why to use it and I use the internet for 45 minutes every day, Samarah Arisha Hossain we need to focus on skills development through the Internet, work from home, learn from home that has already been implemented. Samin Yasser said the internet revolution has changed our way of life. Since the Internet is being used for various purposes, there are various incidents like hate speech, cyberbullying, and various government agencies are working to prevent this from happening. Since children are the future of the future as well as sharing personal information, we need to be aware Khundkar Ayesha Shahriyar Children need to pay attention to the proper use of the Internet, Mehjabin Haque Diva talked about how we can use it, how the internet has affected our lives, as in Covid we can get our various tasks done through various apps and websites and Tanjilul Haque discussed the technical aspects of the Internet. Mr. Tariqul Islam of Bangladesh Shishu Academy spoke about the rights of the child, the main right of the child is to ensure the participation of the child in everything and provided his expert opinion about child rights and other issues.

Women IGF: Overcoming Barriers to Enable Women’s Meaningful Internet Governance, Ms. Achia Nila, Founder & CEO, Women in Digital discussed some data on the use of the internet globally and the ratio of men and women. She emphasized working to reduce a huge gap between men and women to use the internet in Bangladesh.  Ms. Tamanna Mou, Fellow, Bangladesh School of Internet Governance emphasized on meaningful use of the internet for the development of women as well as empowerment of the empowerment. Ms. Naznin Nahar, Editor & Publisher, the Monthly Tec world Bangladesh discussed some technical aspects of the use of the internet and urged to stop all kinds of cyberbullying and harassment of women through the internet. Ms. Shaila Rahman Lima, Deputy Director Grameen Phone mentioned some of the positive impacts of women's participation in the local level internet helping in empowering the women in urban and rural areas. But meaning internet services are essential.  Ms. Shamima Akhter, Managing Director, Improving Trading Limited mentioned we have to work more for meaningful use of the internet which will help in women empowerment of women. Women are involved with e-commerce but rural and urban speedy internet is required to intensify the journey of the women. Guest of Honor: Ms. Afroza Haq, Managing Director, Shom Communications Ltd. mentioned meaningful involvement of women in stages including the decision-making process in the family and society. We need to raise the issues of meaning using the internet and other empowerment-related issues in the national parliament and should mobilize members of the parliament emphasizing the issues. Ms. Farha Mahmud Trina, Convener, Women Internet Governance Forum moderated the session.

In the E-commerce and Cross-Border Data Flow session Mr. Md. Iftekhar Alam Ishaque, Deputy Chief Technical Officer, SSL Wireless highlighted the ways to flourish e-commerce and create a cashless society and the role of fintech including bkash, nagad, upay and other organizations working for promoting e-commerce. Mr. Rakibul Hassan, International Big Data Expert discussed education and digital literacy and its importance for promoting e-commerce in Bangladesh, Mr. Zia Ashraf, Director International Affairs, e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) discussed commercial information, the flow of information and intervention of e-CAB promoting online business and other issues, Ms. Sayda Kamrun Jahan Ripa, Chair Person, Youth IGF Bangladesh moderated the session.

The Closing Session was held on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation. Mr. Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu, Secretary-General, Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum moderated the session and he highlighted the activities of BIGF carried out in the year 2021 in the meeting before starting the session.  Mr. AHM. Bazlur Rahman-S21BR, Chief Executive Officer, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication discussed on UN Secretary General’s Road Map for Digital Cooperation, Mr. Rakibul Hassan, Former Military Staff Officer (Civil-Military Coordination), United Nations highlighted education, young people skill development and mention education is the frontier in the digital age, Mr. Musharraf Tansen, In-Country Representative, Bangladesh, MALALA FUND emphasized on education and reduce discrimination from the society between boys and girls in using a smartphone, digital divide and education. Mr. Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, Government of Bangladesh/UNDP mentioned digital equality for making an Innovative Bangladesh by 2041. He also highlighted the initiatives of the government and highlighted some statistics on TCV (Time, Cost and Visit), Mr. Hasanul Haq Inu, MP, Chairperson, Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum & Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee for Ministry of Information and Broadcasting emphasized equality, education, skill development and expected that BIGF and concerned department of the government will produce a Digitization Report on digital equality and also emphasized to develop and enact some policies and law in this connection. The necessary budget should be allocated in this regard and he said that humancentric Internet is the demand of the time.