Over the last two decades, digital technologies have become central to everyday life in Bangladesh, shaping communication, access to information, delivery of public services, and how citizens exercise their rights. While these technologies have created opportunities, they have also exposed persistent gaps in governance, equity, and rights protection. Issues such as limited digital literacy, uneven access to connectivity, and emerging risks to privacy and freedom of expression remain significant. These concerns became especially urgent in 2025, as the United Nations conducted the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20), intended to reflect on progress and outline future priorities for digital governance. (UN DESA, WSIS+20)
Bangladesh’s engagement in WSIS+20 has been mixed. At the intergovernmental level, the Government of Bangladesh formally submitted its written input to the WSIS+20 Zero Draft, received on 24 October 2025. (Zero Draft submission) While this demonstrated a commitment to participate, the submission provided limited detail on how rights-based governance or citizen inclusion would be operationalized, reflecting a long-standing trend of state-centric and technical approaches dominating the country’s digital policy. (UN DESA, WSIS+20 Zero Draft)
The political context adds further constraints. Bangladesh is currently governed by an interim government, in place only until the upcoming national elections in February. This temporary setup means that the policies, priorities, or initiatives undertaken now may not be carried forward by the next elected government. As a result, the scope for systemic reform, long-term implementation, or rights-based innovation remains limited, and any progress achieved by the interim government risks being disconnected from future policymaking or electoral mandates. Furthermore, Bangladesh, as a member of the Group of 77 + China, negotiated jointly with other countries in WSIS+20 negotiations. While membership in this group gives Bangladesh a voice in broader developing-country discussions, it also means that some shared positions may not fully reflect Bangladesh’s specific priorities or national context.
To address these gaps, multi-stakeholder initiatives have emerged. The “Road to WSIS+20” workshop, held on May 25, 2025, convened government officials, civil society representatives, academics, private sector actors, and international partners to discuss Bangladesh’s national priorities in the WSIS+20 process. Discussions covered a wide range of perspectives, including ongoing digital transformation initiatives, regulatory clarity, infrastructure affordability, and concerns around restrictive digital laws and public trust in online spaces. Participants also highlighted the need for stronger coordination in internet governance, better alignment with global frameworks such as the Global Digital Compact, and more systematic engagement across sectors. Across all groups, there was broad interest in sustaining dialogue beyond the workshop, with calls for clearer institutional leadership, transparent mechanisms for consultation, and regular follow-up to ensure that diverse stakeholder perspectives continue to inform Bangladesh’s WSIS+20 submissions and related digital governance initiatives. (Digitally Right, 2025 Workshop)
Civil society organizations have also been active in advocating for rights-centered approaches. On 3 October 2025, the BNNRC, BIGF, and the Pact for Future – Bangladeshi CSOs Initiative submitted joint input to the WSIS+20 Zero Draft. Their submission highlighted that many WSIS goals — such as meaningful access, inclusive governance, and human rights protections — were only partially realized in Bangladesh. The coalition pointed to top-down policymaking, limited transparency, and weak safeguards for privacy and data protection as ongoing challenges. (UN DESA, BNNRC Submission)
Inspired by the “Road to WSIS+20” workshop on May 25, 2025, a follow-up civil society consultation on July 26, 2025, organized by iSocial and Digitally Right Limited, brought together ten organizations. As a voluntary CSO initiative, the workshop consolidated national priorities for digital governance, producing recommendations on participatory governance, data protection, and citizen redress, while noting that systemic constraints under the interim government limited regular consultation and enforcement.
In October 2025, a coalition of Bangladeshi civil society organisations submitted a people‑centred blueprint for WSIS+20 calling for rights‑based, locally grounded digital policy that goes beyond access to meaningful use and inclusive governance. The submission emphasised affordable, safe, and multilingual connectivity, stronger human‑rights safeguards, and institutional reforms such as a permanent multistakeholder secretariat and national action plans to translate commitments into delivery. (Cade Project, 2025)
Overall, Bangladesh’s participation in WSIS+20 reflects a partial evolution: there is increasing recognition of the need for inclusion and rights-based governance, but structural constraints, interim political arrangements, and weak institutional mechanisms limit the translation of recommendations into practice. Civil society has been central in highlighting these gaps, advocating for rights-focused reforms, and maintaining pressure on authorities, but the country still faces the challenge of ensuring that national priorities are implemented consistently and aligned with international commitments. Participation at international forums, such as UN DESA consultations and the Asia Pacific Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF), has helped raise awareness, yet it remains unclear how effectively these inputs will influence national policy or the final WSIS+20 outcome. (APrIGF, WSIS+20 Working Group)
While Bangladesh is engaging more with multi-stakeholder approaches, the gap between aspiration and implementation still remains. The temporary nature of the current government, combined with the structural challenges of policymaking and limited institutionalized participation, means that achieving a digital governance framework that is participatory, inclusive, and rights-centered remains a work in progress, requiring sustained advocacy and engagement from civil society and other national stakeholders.
References:
- UN DESA. “WSIS+20 Process Overview.” https://publicadministration.desa.un.org/wsis20
- UN DESA. “WSIS+20 Zero Draft of Outcome Document.” https://publicadministration.desa.un.org/wsis20/zerodraft
- UN DESA. BNNRC Submission to WSIS+20 Zero Draft, 3 October 2025. https://publicadministration.desa.un.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/2025/Inputs%20to%20Zero%20Draft/BNNRC_inputs%20to%20Zero%20Draft.pdf
- Digitally Right Limited. “The Road to WSIS+20 Workshop.” 25 May 2025. https://digitallyright.org/the-road-to-wsis20-workshop/
- Cade Project. “Bangladesh Civil Society Lays Out Blueprint for a People-Centred WSIS+20.” https://cadeproject.org/updates/bangladesh-civil-society-lays-out-blueprint-for-a-people-centred-wsis20/
- Asia Pacific Internet Governance Forum (APrIGF). “WSIS+20 Working Group.” https://ap.rigf.asia/aprigf-wsis20-working-group/
