Hosted by the Centre for Governance Studies · Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026

Navigating Power, Technology & Trust in a World Rewritten

INAUGURAL ADDRESS — TARIQUE RAHMAN, PRIME MINISTER OF BANGLADESH
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INAUGURAL ADDRESS · CHIEF GUEST

Tarique Rahman

Prime Minister of Bangladesh

The Prime Minister opens Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026

The fifth edition of the Conversation will be inaugurated by the Honourable Prime Minister, who will deliver the opening address before an audience of policymakers, diplomats, security experts, business leaders, academics, journalists, and emerging leaders from across the world.

“In an era of fragments and frontiers, dialogue is how we build the futures we share.”

PAN PACIFIC SONARGAON, DHAKA · 3 OCTOBER 2026
ABOUT BOBC 2026

Where the region's hardest conversations happen openly.

Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026 explores the transformations reshaping the world — geopolitical competition, technological disruption, economic realignment, climate challenges, and the growing importance of trust and governance in an interconnected world.

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FIVE FLAGSHIP PILLARS

The architecture of the 2026 dialogue

Power in Transition

Geopolitics, security and strategic competition in a shifting order.

The Technology Frontier

AI, cyber space and information power reshaping statecraft.

The New Economic Geography

Trade, connectivity and strategic growth across the region.

Climate, Resilience & Human Security

Confronting the climate crisis on the front line of the Bay.

Trust, Democracy & Governance

Rebuilding institutions and public trust for the future.

THE VOICES

Featured Speakers

Heads of state, diplomats, technologists, and frontline correspondents take the floor across three days.

SIGNATURE PLATFORMS

Moments that define the Conversation

The Prime Minister's Address

Plenary

The Bay of Bengal Lecture

Keynote

The New Strategic Middle

Flagship

Why the Bay Matters to the World

Flagship

Frontiers

Annual Conversation

PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS

Convened in partnership across the region

Rooted in the Bay of Bengal. Connected to the World. Focused on the Future.

The Bay of Bengal Conversation is an international strategic dialogue platform hosted annually by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bringing together political leaders, policymakers, diplomats, business executives, scholars, journalists, and emerging voices from around the world, it explores the ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping the Bay of Bengal, the Indo-Pacific, and the wider international order. As a platform for dialogue across borders, sectors, and perspectives, the Conversation seeks to foster understanding, cooperation, and forward-looking solutions in a rapidly changing world.