AHM Bazlur Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of the Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC), has been selected as a High-Level Representative/High-Level Participant for the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026, scheduled to take place from 6 to 10 July 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The UN WSIS Forum 2026 will be co-hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Swiss Confederation. The Forum will be held at ITU Headquarters and Palexpo, Geneva, with enhanced opportunities for remote participation. It will be co-organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD, in partnership with more than 50 United Nations entities.

The 2026 Forum carries particular significance as the first annual WSIS Forum convened after the WSIS+20 review by the United Nations General Assembly. The Forum builds on the outcomes of the General Assembly’s overall review of the implementation of the World Summit on the Information Society, as reflected in Resolution A/RES/80/173. The resolution reaffirms the WSIS Forum as the global multistakeholder platform for dialogue on information society issues and calls for its continued annual convening.

The WSIS Forum serves as the central multistakeholder platform mandated to advance the implementation of the WSIS Action Lines and to support global digital cooperation. It brings together governments, the private sector, civil society, technical communities, academia, youth and international organizations in an inclusive space for dialogue, collaboration and action.

Since its establishment in 2000, BNNRC has played a consistent and strategic role in advancing inclusive digital development in Bangladesh. Through a people-centred, rights-based and community-driven approach, BNNRC has linked media development, digital transformation, digital democracy and information integrity within a common framework. In doing so, BNNRC has contributed to the vision of building an information society that is people-centered, inclusive, and development-oriented.

A distinctive feature of BNNRC’s work is its ability to connect the global principles and commitments of the WSIS process with Bangladesh’s national context and local realities, translating them into practical initiatives. BNNRC’s experience demonstrates how international commitments can become effective, meaningful and directly relevant to people’s lives at national and community levels.

AHM Bazlur Rahman’s participation in the WSIS Forum 2026 will provide an important opportunity to share Bangladesh’s experience in media development, digital transformation, digital democracy and information integrity, in line with the implementation of WSIS Action Lines C1-C11. His engagement will also contribute to discussions on the Global Digital Compact follow-up, Internet Governance Forum processes, the Pact for the Future, responsible artificial intelligence and civic participation, from the perspective of Bangladesh and the Global South.

The WSIS Forum 2026 is expected to play a vital role in supporting Member States and stakeholders as they begin implementing commitments emerging from the WSIS+20 review. The Forum will provide a strategic space for renewed global cooperation on digital inclusion, emerging technologies, information integrity, digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity, multilingual digital ecosystems and sustainable digital development.

As the WSIS process moves towards WSIS 2035, BNNRC considers this participation part of its continued commitment to strengthening inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented digital transformation in Bangladesh, while contributing to global digital cooperation through the WSIS process.

About BNNRC

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) work to promote media development, community media, digital inclusion, communication rights, digital democracy, information integrity, and people-centered digital transformation in Bangladesh. Since 2006, BNNRC has been actively implementing the UN WSIS Action Lines in the Bangladeshi context.