BOBC 2026 brings over 200 speakers from 100 countries

The fifth edition of the Bay of Bengal Conversation (BOBC) 2026 will begin at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka today, bringing together more than 200 speakers from over 100 countries to discuss major geopolitical and regional issues.

The three-day conference, organised under the auspices of the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS), will also draw more than 300 delegates and over 1,000 participants, CGS President Zillur Rahman said at a press conference on Friday.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is scheduled to inaugurate the conference, which has emerged as a significant platform for regional diplomacy and geopolitical dialogue in South Asia.

Former and incumbent heads of state, ministers, diplomats, military experts, university professors, researchers, business leaders, investors, journalists, human rights activists, technology specialists and representatives of international development organisations are expected to attend.

Zillur Rahman said this year’s discussions would focus on five key areas – geopolitics, security, trust, climate change, spirituality and humanity. He said the Bay of Bengal region, serving as a meeting point between South and Southeast Asia, faced both challenges and opportunities.

One of the key objectives of the conference is to explore practical solutions to the issues surrounding the region, he said.

Zillur Rahman also said CGS had expanded its operations in the United States and planned to extend its presence to Brussels and Dubai in the future.

CGS Executive Director Parvez Karim Abbasi said the conference had expanded over the years and continued to bring difficult and sensitive issues to the forefront of international discussion.

He said this year’s discussions would also focus on global geopolitical uncertainties, democratic governance in Bangladesh and sustainable development.