DHAKA, 3 October 2026 — The fifth edition of the Bay of Bengal Conversation (BoBC) opened in Dhaka on Saturday 3 October 2026, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman formally opening the three-day event at around 10am, according to Dhaka Tribune and The Business Standard, both citing the UNB news agency. The forum is organised by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel and runs until 5 October.
The official theme is “Fragments, Frontiers & Futures: Navigating Power, Technology and Trust in a World Rewritten”. The organisers explain on the conference website that “Fragments” captures the fragmentation of old assumptions and institutions, “Frontiers” reflects new technological, geopolitical and societal frontiers, and “Futures” recognises that multiple pathways remain possible. News reports give the scale as around 200 speakers, more than 300 delegates and over 1,000 participants from more than 100 countries. Former Serbian President Boris Tadić and former Malian Prime Minister Moussa Mara are among the notable participants, according to The Business Standard.
What is on the programme
The official website lists five flagship pillars: Power in Transition; The Technology Frontier; The New Economic Geography; Climate, Resilience and Human Security; and Trust, Democracy and the Future of Governance. Signature platforms include the Prime Minister’s Address, titled “Bangladesh and the World: Navigating a New Era of Opportunity and Uncertainty”, the Bay of Bengal Lecture, The New Strategic Middle, and a signature session called “Why the Bay Matters to the World”.
According to the published programme, the opening assembly on Saturday featured CGS Executive Director Parvez Karim Abbasi, CGS President Zillur Rahman, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir and the Prime Minister. It was followed by a first conversation titled “A World Rewritten”, with Mr Tadić among its panellists, and a statecraft address by Mr Mara.
The programme for Sunday 4 October lists a spotlight talk by M. J. Akbar, a Grand Conversation titled “Who Decides When the Model Decides?” on artificial intelligence in the machinery of the state, and Mr Tadić’s Bay of Bengal Lecture, “Between Power and Principle”. On Monday 5 October, former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed is scheduled to give “The Survival Address: When a Nation Faces the Rising Sea”, ahead of sessions on investment, on justice, accountability and national reconciliation, and on why the Bay matters to the world. The forum closes with “The Final Conversation”, with Zillur Rahman.
The conference mixes public sessions with smaller invitation-only roundtables. Speaking at a press conference on 2 October, Zillur Rahman said all public sessions would be broadcast live on CGS’s digital platforms, and that, apart from accredited journalists, only registered individuals would have access to the venue, according to The Daily Star. The official website lists United Commercial Bank, Dhaka Bank, ChanneliBD, Robi Axiata and Grameenphone among the event’s partners.
Why It Matters
The Bay of Bengal links South and Southeast Asia and sits on some of the region’s busiest trade and energy routes, which is why maritime security, supply chains and climate resilience feature so prominently on the agenda. A non-governmental forum that draws serving and former leaders from several continents offers a relatively informal space for those conversations, and the discussions in Dhaka may influence how Bangladesh and its neighbours frame regional cooperation in the months ahead. Impact Legacy Magazine will continue to report from the conference over the three days.
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