I am thrilled to share an exciting update from Bangladesh. As the convenor of the ICANN Outreach Dhaka 2024 program, I hope these activities will help us become more active in the community and foster a more inclusive and engaging Bangladeshi community.
Successful ICANN Outreach Dhaka 2024 Program
We successfully hosted the ICANN Outreach Dhaka 2024 program at the BTRC Auditorium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The program spanned two days, on the 11th and 14th of July 2024.
Day 1: July 11, 2024
On the first day, we held two insightful roundtable discussions with the business community and academia. The discussions focused on ICANN and its activities, new gTLDs, Bangladeshi ccTLD, and Universal Acceptance (UA).
This day will be remembered in Bangladeshi internet history for our own ccTLD. Our Honorable State Minister of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak, MP, gave a historic instruction to the ccTLD authority to deploy a fully automated system. This system will allow the private sector to become registrars and enable anyone globally to register our ccTLD (.bd and .বাংলা) just like other gTLDs. This monumental decision will open significant business opportunities for Bangladeshi hosting companies and the tech community, positively impact our foreign currency reserves, and improve our national cybersecurity. Additionally, it will strengthen our presence in the global internet ecosystem.
The minister also showed strong interest and welcomed the international community to visit Bangladesh, expressing a desire to host an ICANN public meeting here. The event featured two delegates from ICANN, alongside guests from the business community and academia, who contributed significantly to the roundtable discussions. Mr. Samiran Gupta and Mr. Sajidur Rahman presented on ICANN, its activities, and its role in the internet. Mr. Mason Cole, Chair of the BC at ICANN, presented the BC’s activities. B.G. Kazi Mustafizur Rahman moderated the two roundtable sessions.
Day 2: July 14, 2024
The second day was packed with engaging sessions open to all attendees. We began with a panel discussion with the Bangladeshi domain name and hosting business community, followed by a panel discussion with all Bangladeshi ICANN fellows about the importance of engagement with the DNS community.
The event concluded with an open seminar chaired by the Honorable Chairman of BTRC, Eng. Md Mohiuddin Ahmed, with the Chief Guest being the Honorable State Minister of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak, MP. I had the honor of presenting on the status and future of the Bangladeshi domain name market. Additionally, we were graced by the presence of two guests of honor, Syed Almas Kabir, Advisor, FBCCI, and Shameem Ahsan, President of the Venture Capital & Private Equity Association of Bangladesh (VCPEAB).
Special Thanks
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to BTRC and ICANN for their invaluable support in making this event a success. A special thanks to Dr. Shamsuzzoha, DD, BTRC, for his dedicated efforts and contributions.
The ICANN Outreach Dhaka 2024 was hosted by BTRC, co-hosted by ICANN, and organized by EyHost Ltd. The program was supported by the Bangladeshi hosting community, with APTLD and ISOC Bangladesh as notable partners in the event.
For more information about the event, please visit ICANN Outreach Dhaka 2024.
Thank you to everyone who participated and made this event memorable. Your engagement and contributions were invaluable, and I hope you will continue to spread the knowledge gained within your communities.