Bangladesh elected chairman of Asia Pacific Superhighway

Bangladesh has been elected chairman of Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway Working Group for next one year. United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) countries at a high-level forum meeting in Bangkok Tuesday supported Bangladesh to lead the Information Highway. State Minister for ICT Affairs Zunaid Ahmed Palak joined the forum titled "Interment of Opportunity in the Asia Pacific" organised by UN-ESCAP and Internet Society at the Thai capital of Bangkok. Addressing the forum, he underscored the need for connecting UN-ESCAP countries into Asian Pacific Information Highway saying that inclusive internet is very essential to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including good health, qualitative education, innovation and smart city. According to ESCAP website, the Asian Information Superhighway is an initiative of ESCAP, which aims to increase the availability and affordability of broadband Internet across Asia and the Pacific, by strengthening the underlying internet infrastructure in the region. Asia and the Pacific countries will get uninterruptable internet connection at a cheap rate as the countries would be connected by fiber optic cable along Trans Asian railways thought the Information Highway. Bangladesh Permanent Representative to UN-ESCAP and Bangladesh Ambassador in Bangkok Saida Muna Tasneem, Additional Secretary of ICT Division Sushanta Kumar Saha and Department of Information and Communication Technology Director General Banamali Bhowmick were present on the occasion.