AHM Bazlur Rahman @ third substantive session of the Open-ended Working Group on security of and in the use of ICTs at UN HQ, New York, USA, 25-29 July 2022

Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) has been accredited with the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) for 2021-2025 on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs.

United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs is going to organize a third substantive session of the Open-ended Working Group on security of and in the use of ICTs at UN HQ, New York, USA, 25-29 July 2022.

H.E. Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, Chair of the OEWG and Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations has invited Mr AHM Bazlur Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of BNNRC for participating in the third substantive session of the Open-ended Working Group.

In November 2020, the UN General Assembly voted to establish, through resolution A/RES/75/240, the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on security of and in the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs). It will commence work in 2021, and report back to the General Assembly in 2025.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed concern over the malicious use of ICTs. He has therefore made the promotion of a peaceful ICT-environment one of his key priorities.

In May 2018, the Secretary-General launched his Agenda for Disarmament. In the Agenda, he notes that “global interconnectivity means that the frequency and impact of cyberattacks could be increasingly widespread, affecting an exponential number of systems or networks at the same time.” He further states that “in this context, malicious acts in cyberspace are contributing to diminishing trust among States.” To address these challenges, the Secretary-General has included two action points on cyber in the implementation plan of the Agenda for Disarmament.

BNNRC has been implementing and harmonizing all interventions with the UN World Summit on the Information Society (UN WSIS) action line C1- C-11 in Bangladesh since 2006.