80th UN ESCAP Conference: Bangladesh holds side event 'Smart Innovation for Sustainable Development'

Bangladesh has hosted an important event titled 'Smart Innovations for Sustainable Development: Perspectives from Bangladesh and the Asia Pacific Region' on the sideline of the 80th conference of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The event was held on Monday (22 April) at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok, Thailand, reads a press release.

Organised jointly by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division and the Bangladesh embassy in Bangkok, this event highlighted Bangladesh's inexorable journey in digital technological innovation and its impact on achieving sustainable development goals.

At the event, a collective call was made to explore digital technologies' innovative potential in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) achievement within Bangladesh and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali, finance minister of Bangladesh, said in his speech, 'We are helping the global South with our experience, knowledge, and technological innovations in the delivery of government services. We strongly believe that this knowledge and technology exchange will help us all move forward together. As we move towards meeting the United Nations' development goals, the Government of Bangladesh has launched the International ICT Innovation-iCube matching fund to accelerate the digital transformation of countries worldwide."

The State for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Junaid Ahmed Palak, present at the panel, said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's leadership made transformation into a digital Bangladesh possible within a very short time.

"Following the successful implementation of Digital Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the Smart Bangladesh Building Programme, which aims to build an inclusive, innovative, sustainable, knowledge-based smart nation by 2041 based on the four main pillars - Smart Citizen, Smart Economy, Smart Government and Smart Society.

"In the last 15 years, 20 lakh youths have been employed in the IT/ITES sector. The country has about 7 lakh IT freelancers, outsourcing from rural areas, and earning around $2 billion," he added.

Dr Ramesh Chandra Paudel, member of the National Planning Commission of Nepal, said technological advancements in countries like Bangladesh could make technology more accessible than advanced technologies managed by developed economies. 

"It could be a game-changer strategy for that region," he added.

The programme was hosted by Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiya, the Chief Executive Officer of Agency to Innovate (A2I) and the Project Director (Additional Secretary) of Aspire to Innovate (A2I).

Ambassador of Bangladesh to Thailand Mohammed Abdul Hye delivered the welcome speech.

The event featured a panel discussion featuring eminent speakers from Bangladesh and the Asia-Pacific region. The experts in attendance discussed the role of digital innovation in addressing key challenges related to achieving the SDGs while offering their thoughtful views.