Bangladesh and Japan will work together in different areas, including innovation and research, digital economy, cyber security, and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector to accelerate Bangladesh's journey towards building a knowledge-based smart nation by 2041. A Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was signed between the governments of Bangladesh and Japan on Wednesday (Apr 26) in the presence of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Japanese Prime Minister's Office, said an ICT Division press release. State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori signed the MoC on behalf of their respective sides.
Under the agreement, both Bangladesh and Japan would foster deeper partnership in various areas of ICT, including cooperation in human resources development, innovation and research, digital literacy, the digital economy, cyber security, and promoting 4IR technologies, sharing the most recent developments in the ICT sector.
The two countries will cooperate with each other to prevent and respond to the fast-growing cyber incidents and exchange of information on prevalent cyber security policies and best practices, and arrange dialogue to discuss current issues in this regards.
The both countries would cooperate to build capacity of human resources and exchange experts.
About the agreement, Palak said the MoC signed with the technologically advanced country like Japan is a milestone development in "our journey towards building a sustainable, knowledge-based and innovative Smart Bangladesh by 2041".
Japanese cooperation is very important for the advancement of ICT sector in the country, especially for implementing the 'Smart Bangladesh' within the stipulated time, he added.
As per the MoC, Bangladesh and Japan would also work together in the international arena to promote implementation of the UNGGE reports of 2013, 2015 and 2021 by reaffirming the applicability of international law in cyberspace as well as by appropriately conducting Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) and extending capacity building.
