Bangladesh will soon be poised to take full advantage of all the business and development benefits promised by the information age, thanks to the fruitful collaboration between the Government of Bangladesh, private industry, and the JOBS/IRIS Project over the past two years. A seminar at the Sheraton Hotel on October 28, 2002, celebrated the achievements of that collaboration and planned for the work ahead.

The seminar was jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology (MOSICT), the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Systems (BASIS), and JOBS/IRIS. It presented the importance of the legal and regulatory framework for economic growth across the world, and reviewed the proposed Information Technology Law, with a focus on the benefits it promises to electronic commerce, and to information and communication technology (ICT)-based enterprises in Bangladesh.

The draft IT law addresses some of the key stumbling blocks to online transactions. Its enactment will:
- Enable electronic records to have the same validity as paper documents and to allow their use as evidence in court cases;
- Allow electronic signatures to legally satisfy written signature requirements; and
- Permit electronic payments.

The enabling legal environment established by the draft IT law will help businesses use ICT to improve their productivity and lower operational costs, improve the competitive position of Bangladesh in world markets, and encourage the widespread use of information and communication technology among large and small entrepreneurs.

The agenda of the seminar included a progress report on IT initiatives (including the recently enacted IT Policy) presented by Mr. Asahabur Rahman, Joint Secretary of MOSICT, while Justice (retired) Naimuddin Ahmed and Secretary Ikteder Ahmed of the Law Commission described the approach followed by IT Act to foster the legal and regulatory framework for IT-based growth.

International participants included Jody R. Westby, president of The Work-IT Group, a U.S.-based consulting company specializing in e-commerce and cybercrime legal and regulatory issues, and ICT industry sector development. She discussed the special opportunities and challenges ICT presents for developing countries and their impact on government policy and the legal and regulatory framework. Ms. Westby also commented on the draft IT Law and practical steps to promote Bangladesh's ICT industry sector. Angelo Faria, a legal officer with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), spoke about UN Model Laws for Electronic Commerce and Electronic Signatures and the role they have played in the global developing legal framework for ICTs.

Honorable Minister Mr. Abdul Moyeen Khan, Minister of MOSICT was the chief guest for the morning session where the legal and regulatory aspects of ICT sector was discussed. Honorable Minister Mr. Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, was the chief guest for the sessions that discussed the private sector participation and success stories in Bangladesh. Mr. Karar M. Hassan, Secretary of the MOSICT, chaired both sessions.

Among the other guests at the seminar are Mary Ann Peters, U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh, Gene George, Director of USAID, and Thierry van Bastelaer of IRIS. JOBS/IRIS was represented by Director Imran Shauket.