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The fifth edition of the Bay of Bengal Conversation (BOBC) 2026 begins in Dhaka today, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman scheduled to inaugurate the three-day international forum.
Organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), the event will be held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel from October 3 to 5.
More than 200 speakers, 300 delegates and over 1,000 participants from more than 100 countries are expected to attend the conference.
They include former and incumbent heads of state, ministers, diplomats, researchers, academics, business leaders, journalists, technology experts and civil society representatives.
The conference will focus on major regional and global issues, including geopolitics, security, artificial intelligence, economic connectivity, climate change, trust and governance.
This year’s theme is “Fragments, Frontiers and Futures: Navigating Power, Technology and Trust in a World Rewritten.” Discussions will be organised around five broad areas: shifting power politics, emerging technologies, the changing geography of the global economy, climate and human security, and the future of trust, democracy and governance.
The programme will feature plenary sessions, leadership forums, strategic dialogues, spotlight talks and invitation-only roundtables.
Notable participants include former Serbian president Boris Tadić, former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed and former Malian prime minister Moussa Mara.
CGS officials said the conference aims to provide a platform for discussing complex regional and global challenges and exploring practical solutions concerning the Bay of Bengal and its wider neighbourhood.
