Photo : Collected

DHAKA, April 13, 2026 (BSS) - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division, has organised the Civic Tech Innovation Expo 2026 at the BCC Auditorium in the capital.

The event, held on Sunday, highlighted Bangladesh’s first youth-led civic technology ecosystem, bringing together government officials, development partners, and young innovators to support digital governance and inclusion, said an UNDP press release today.

The Expo was part of the “Partnerships for a More Tolerant and Inclusive Bangladesh (PTIB)” project, jointly implemented by UNDP and the ICT Division’s Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), with support from Norway. 

Through the project, young innovators developed technology-based solutions addressing key governance challenges, aligned with national priorities on democratic accountability, rule of law, human rights, women’s safety, and digital inclusion.

Quazi Anowar Hossain, secretary of the Information and Communication Technology Division under the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, emphasized the importance of integration and accessibility: “These apps should not remain isolated. They need to be brought together under an open platform and made accessible in multiple languages to ensure wider usability.”

Highlighting the international significance of the initiative, Håkon Arald Gulbrandsen, ambassador of Norway to Bangladesh, emphasized the role of youth, saying, “I am very pleased to see the youth ecosystem actively contributing to the growth of Bangladesh’s civic tech sector.”

Sonali Dayaratne, deputy resident representative of UNDP, stated “Seeing small actions evolve into real services from prototypes to practical implementation makes me happy. It is inspiring to witness solutions that directly address practical life challenges.”

Md. Abu Sayeed, executive director of the Bangladesh Computer Council, underlined the broader vision of the initiative and  said, “This project is fundamentally focused on digital literacy. We are very happy to see how it aligns people more closely with governance and strengthens their engagement in the digital space.”

During the Expo, youth-led teams demonstrated solutions including AI-based legal information platforms, tools to counter misinformation, citizen feedback systems for public policies, and digital applications to improve public services and environmental sustainability. Several of these solutions show strong potential for integration into public systems.

The event concluded with the handover of innovation grants to top solutions, reinforcing collaboration between youth, government, and development partners. The Expo marks an important step toward transparent, citizen-centric governance and inclusive digital transformation in Bangladesh.