{"id":14565,"date":"2025-07-06T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2025\/07\/06\/en-bangladesh-igf-2025-overview\/"},"modified":"2025-07-06T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T01:00:00","slug":"en-bangladesh-igf-2025-overview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2025\/07\/06\/en-bangladesh-igf-2025-overview\/","title":{"rendered":"20th Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum 2025 (20th BIGF) \u2014 In-Depth Report: Minutes Digest &#038; 3-Line Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-bangladesh-igf-2025-overview_thumbnail.svg\" alt=\"Bangladesh IGF 2025 \u30c0\u30c3\u30ab \u2014 Thumbnail\"><\/p>\n<h2>The 3-Line Summary<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-bangladesh-igf-2025-overview_s3.svg\" alt=\"Bangladesh IGF 2025 \u30c0\u30c3\u30ab \u2014 3-line summary\"><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>From 30 October to 1 November 2025 the 20th Bangladesh IGF met in hybrid form in Dhaka under the theme &#39;Building Digital Governance in Global South&#39;, with &#39;father of the internet&#39; Vint Cerf sending a solidarity address to the opening.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The first full-scale forum under the leadership installed after the August 2024 uprising, it put the interim government&#39;s ICT special assistant in the closing chief-guest seat and tackled the Cyber Security Act and free expression, disinformation and media trust, and technology-facilitated gender-based violence.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Twenty editions on from 2006 \u2014 among the oldest national IGFs in South Asia \u2014 it stands as a live case study of how a national IGF reboots after a change of regime, with the UN IGF Secretariat&#39;s NRI focal point adding the UN&#39;s own message of solidarity.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Welcome \u2014 this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on <strong>20th Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum 2025 (20th BIGF)<\/strong> draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.<\/p>\n<h2>Conference at a Glance (from official records)<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-bangladesh-igf-2025-overview_h2.svg\" alt=\"Bangladesh IGF 2025 \u30c0\u30c3\u30ab \u2014 Conference at a glance\"><\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Item<\/th>\n<th>Detail<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Official name<\/td>\n<td>20th Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum 2025 (20th BIGF)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dates<\/td>\n<td>30 October \u2013 1 November 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Venue<\/td>\n<td>Dhaka, Bangladesh (hybrid; the venue name is not specified in official materials)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Theme<\/td>\n<td>Building Digital Governance in Global South (The opening session was titled &#39;Building Digital Governance in Bangladesh&#39; and the closing session &#39;Bangladesh Context: Building Digital Governance in the Global South&#39;)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Host<\/td>\n<td>Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF; 2024\u201326 executive committee chaired by Mohammad Aminul Hakim), co-organized with the Internet Society Bangladesh Chapter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Note<\/td>\n<td>20th edition, marking two decades since BIGF&#39;s founding in 2006<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>(See the source list at the end of this article.)<\/p>\n<h2>Discussion Digest \u2014 from the Session Records<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-bangladesh-igf-2025-overview_minutes.svg\" alt=\"Bangladesh IGF 2025 \u30c0\u30c3\u30ab \u2014 Discussion map\"><\/p>\n<p>Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Opening \u2014 A Solidarity Address from Vint Cerf at the 20th Milestone<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Session 02, Opening Ceremony &#39;Building Digital Governance in Bangladesh&#39; (30 October, 16:00\u201317:30)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vint Cerf \u2014 Google VP, Chief Internet Evangelist and one of the &#39;fathers of the internet&#39; \u2014 sent a solidarity address, lending international weight to the 20th milestone [1]<\/li>\n<li>Professor Hakikur Rahman of International Standard University keynoted on &#39;Digital Governance: Empowering an Inclusive and Intelligent Bangladesh&#39;, with veteran organizer A.H.M. Bazlur Rahman delivering the welcome [1]<\/li>\n<li>APNIC Executive Council member Sumon Ahmed Sabir and ICANN&#39;s South Asia engagement manager also spoke, and the day opened with a newcomers&#39; orientation on fellowship pathways \u2014 a deliberate next-generation focus [1]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Governance After the Uprising \u2014 the Cyber Security Act, Free Expression and Disinformation<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Session 09 on the Cyber Security Act and freedom of expression, and on media and digital trust in the age of disinformation (1 November, 14:30\u201315:45)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A dedicated session sought a &#39;balanced path&#39; between the Cyber Security Act \u2014 successor to laws criticised as tools of suppression under the previous government \u2014 and freedom of expression [1][2]<\/li>\n<li>The companion talk on media and digital trust in the disinformation age drew AFP&#39;s digital verification editor, a Jamuna TV researcher and a national daily&#39;s science and ICT head, grounding the debate in fact-checking practice [1][2]<\/li>\n<li>The closing chief guest was Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, the interim government&#39;s special assistant for posts, telecommunications and IT, with a BIGF vice-chair who serves as an International Crimes Tribunal prosecutor moderating \u2014 the post-uprising state, visible on stage [1][2]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. TFGBV and Three-Generation Inclusion \u2014 UN Agencies on the Gender-Violence Panel<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Session 08 on combating technology-facilitated gender-based violence (1 November, 11:30\u201313:30); Session 07 Kids IGF; Session 03 Youth<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The TFGBV session seated UNFPA, UN Women, Plan International and IPAS alongside a senior judge from the national legal aid agency \u2014 UN agencies and practitioners on one panel [1]<\/li>\n<li>The Kids IGF, &#39;Smart Kids, Safe Internet&#39;, ran workshop-style with school students, while the youth session brought in the Youth IGF India coordinator, framing Global South youth cooperation [1]<\/li>\n<li>Sessions on bridging the AI and digital divide, and student presentations linking rural food systems with digital literacy, kept inclusion running through all three days [1]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Plugging into the UN \u2014 Anja Gengo&#39;s Solidarity Address and the Global South Frame<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Session 10, Closing &#39;Bangladesh Context: Building Digital Governance in the Global South&#39; (1 November, 16:00\u201317:30)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anja Gengo, the UN IGF Secretariat&#39;s focal point for national, regional and youth IGF initiatives, delivered a solidarity address at the closing \u2014 symbolising the pipe between the national forum and UN processes [1][2][3]<\/li>\n<li>A.H.M. Bazlur Rahman&#39;s closing keynote pulled the &#39;building digital governance in the Global South&#39; theme through the Bangladesh context, with Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples Forum general secretary Sanjeeb Drong adding minority perspectives [1][2][3]<\/li>\n<li>The vote of thanks fell to new chairperson Mohammad Aminul Hakim (a former ISPAB president) \u2014 the post-uprising 2024\u201326 executive committee closing out the 20th-anniversary edition [1][2][3]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Three-Minute Short Talk \u2014 Your Questions Answered<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q. What changed at the 20th edition?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. Who runs it. This was the first full forum under the executive committee elected after the August 2024 uprising, chaired by industry veteran Aminul Hakim \u2014 the ruling-party politicians who once presided were gone from the stage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. What was the boldest topic?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. The Cyber Security Act versus free expression: how to balance the successor to laws once used for suppression, debated with the interim government&#39;s ICT special assistant and AFP&#39;s verification editor in the room.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. Why should I care?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. A national forum drawing direct messages from Vint Cerf and the UN IGF Secretariat shows how the NRI system ties countries into global internet governance \u2014 and its disinformation and TFGBV agendas mirror debates everywhere.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is Bangladesh IGF? (for first-time readers)<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-bangladesh-igf-2025-overview_h1.svg\" alt=\"Bangladesh IGF 2025 \u30c0\u30c3\u30ab \u2014 About Bangladesh IGF\"><\/p>\n<p>Bangladesh IGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.<\/p>\n<h2>Why It Matters to You<\/h2>\n<p>What was discussed here becomes <strong>the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years<\/strong>. The principles confirmed at the 2025 meeting are the foundation of the &quot;next rules&quot; for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources &amp; References<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bangladeshigf.org\/20th-bigf-2025-program\/\">20th BIGF 2025 Program Schedule\uff08\u516c\u5f0f\u30fb\u516810\u30bb\u30c3\u30b7\u30e7\u30f3\u306e\u30d7\u30ed\u30b0\u30e9\u30e0\uff09<\/a> \u2014 Bangladesh IGF\uff08bangladeshigf.org\uff09 (accessed 2026-07-17)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/bangladesh-igf-1\">Bangladesh IGF\uff08NRI\u4f1a\u5408\u30ce\u30fc\u30c9: 2025\u5e7410\u670830\u65e5\u301c11\u67081\u65e5\u30fb\u30c0\u30c3\u30ab\u30fb\u30cf\u30a4\u30d6\u30ea\u30c3\u30c9\uff09<\/a> \u2014 intgovforum.org (accessed 2026-07-17)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/blog\/2025\/12\/community-snapshot-november\/\">Community Snapshot\u2014November\uff08ISOC\u30d0\u30f3\u30b0\u30e9\u30c7\u30b7\u30e5\u652f\u90e8\u306b\u3088\u308b\u7b2c20\u56deBIGF\u5171\u50ac\u306e\u8a18\u9332\uff09<\/a> \u2014 Internet Society (accessed 2026-07-17)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.apnic.net\/2025\/02\/28\/event-wrap-bigf-2024\/\">Event Wrap: BIGF 2024\uff08\u7b2c19\u56de=BIGF 2024\u304c2025\u5e741\u670829\u65e5\u306b\u30c0\u30c3\u30ab\u3067\u958b\u50ac\u3055\u308c\u305f\u8a18\u9332\uff09<\/a> \u2014 APNIC Blog (accessed 2026-07-17)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/bangladeshigf.org\/about-us\/\">About us \u2014 Established in 2006\u30fb\u57f7\u884c\u59d4\u54e1\u4f1a2024-2026<\/a> \u2014 Bangladesh IGF\uff08bangladeshigf.org\uff09 (accessed 2026-07-17)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><em>Quotes are translated or condensed from the records listed above. Bracketed numbers [n] refer to the source list.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Related links<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>IGF official (NRI list): <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives\">https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Japan IGF: <a href=\"https:\/\/japanigf.jp\/\">https:\/\/japanigf.jp\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Yuki Nakazawa&#39;s blog: <a href=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/category\/igf\/\">https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/category\/igf\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u66f4\u65b0\u5c65\u6b74<\/h2>\n<p>\u7b2c1\u7a3f\u6295\u7a3f 2026\u5e747\u670815\u65e5 15\u664219\u5206\uff08\u8a18\u4e8b\u30b3\u30f3\u30c6\u30f3\u30c4\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\uff09<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 \u4e2d\u6fa4\u7950\u6a39<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From 30 October to 1 November 2025 the 20th Bangladesh IGF met in hybrid form in Dhaka under the theme &#8216;Building Digital Governance in Globa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,78,3,11],"tags":[163,2516,161,160,162,164],"class_list":["post-14565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aprigf","category-bangladesh-igf","category-igf","category-regional-igf","tag-3-line-summary","tag-bangladeshigf2025","tag-deep-dive","tag-english","tag-minutes-digest","tag-sourced"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14565\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}