For a citizen-responsive House, e-Parliament is crucial: Speakers

Speakers at an inception workshop on the e-Parliament Feasibility Study emphasised the need for digital transformation to ensure a more inclusive, transparent, and citizen-responsive Parliament in Bangladesh.

The workshop was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat (BPS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday at a hotel in Dhaka, with support from the Embassy of Switzerland.

As part of UNDP’s Strengthening Institutions, Policies, and Services (SIPS) project, this initiative aligns with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions and SDG 5: Gender Equality.

Asif Nazrul, adviser to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, addressed the event as Chief Guest.

He remarked, “For a Parliament to truly represent the people, it must be transparent, participatory, and accountable. The e-Parliament initiative offers a historic opportunity to rebuild public trust and restore parliamentary oversight, values that have long been missing from our political culture. But for this to succeed, we must also ensure free, fair, and inclusive elections that bring genuine representatives to the House.”

Stefan Liller, UNDP resident representative in Bangladesh, highlighted the initiative’s purpose,“Technology can expand access, reduce time and cost, and enable real-time policy analysis. But the ultimate goal is a more accountable, participatory, and responsive institution.”

“UNDP is proud to continue its work with the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat as a partner, a knowledge broker, and a long-term ally in strengthening democratic governance,” he further added.

Corinne H Pignani, chargée d’affaires a.i , Embassy of Switzerland, also joined as Special Guest and noted, “The best way to serve the citizens is to enable citizen-centric management of parliamentary affairs.”

Md. Mizanur Rahman ndc, secretary of the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, gave the welcome remarks. Other notable speakers included A K M Benjamin Riazi, Additional Secretary, BPS; and Anowarul Haq, Assistant Resident Representative, UNDP Bangladesh.

Virtual presentations were also delivered by Agata Walczak Agata Walczak, Democratic Institutions and Processes Specialist, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP and Avinash Bikha, Parliamentary Digital Transformation Specialist, Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), who shared global best practices from countries like Armenia, Bhutan, and Serbia, highlighting the impact of digital tools on parliamentary transparency and public engagement.

The event brought together over 80 participants, including officials from all wings of the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, representatives from relevant government departments, development partners, and UNDP experts. Through collaborative group work and stakeholder dialogue, the workshop focused on identifying the specific e-service needs of Members of Parliament and Secretariat staff, evaluating existing ICT infrastructure and capacity, and outlining a roadmap toward establishing a comprehensive e-Parliament system, reports UNB.