Bangladesh has launched a specialised training programme to strengthen civil service capacity for responsible artificial intelligence (AI) governance, as UNESCO and the government began a joint initiative in Dhaka on June 15 the organisations said in a press statement. The programme, which runs on June 15, 16 and 18 at a hotel in Dhaka, brings together senior officials, procurement professionals and ICT focal points from multiple ministries to build practical understanding of AI systems, ethics and governance frameworks.
The initiative comes as governments worldwide increasingly integrate AI into public administration, service delivery and decision-making, while UNESCO’s Readiness Assessment Methodology (RAM) in Bangladesh identified capacity building among policymakers as a key requirement for safe and effective adoption of the technology.
UNESCO said the training aims to strengthen AI literacy among civil servants to ensure ethical, transparent and accountable use of emerging technologies in the public sector.
“Artificial intelligence is no longer a future issue for governments. It is already influencing how public institutions design services, make decisions and engage with citizens. Building AI literacy among civil servants is therefore essential to ensuring that AI is adopted in ways that are ethical, transparent and aligned with the public interest,” said Khalid Bin Masud, Head of Sciences at UNESCO Dhaka. He added that the programme supports Bangladesh in building institutional capacity for responsible AI governance.
S M Moin Uddin Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer (Secretary) of the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA), said the initiative is timely as the country advances its digital transformation agenda. He said AI is already being integrated into government programmes and digitalised processes, with future plans to apply it to the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system to improve public service delivery.
Participants will be trained to understand AI systems, identify opportunities for use in public services, and address ethical and governance challenges associated with deployment in government institutions.
The training is being delivered through UNESCO’s AI Ethics Experts Without Borders network, with facilitators from the UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia, UNDP Sri Lanka’s Citra Social Innovation Lab, BRAC University and North South University. It is designed to promote regional knowledge exchange and South-South cooperation.
UNESCO said the programme forms part of its broader global support for implementing the UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, helping countries align national governance frameworks with international standards and best practices.
