Kathmandu: A workshop on “Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms: Safeguarding Freedom of Expression and Access to Information through a Multi-Stakeholder Approach” was held on January 30 at Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. The event was organised under a joint academic initiative involving Jahangirnagar University, the University of Vocational Technology, Sri Lanka, and Tribhuvan University, Nepal, led by the Central Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Tribhuvan University.
Speaking at the workshop, Prof. Mujammel Haque, Dean of Jahangirnagar University, stressed the growing role of government and private-sector actors in developing a rights-based framework for digital platform governance in Bangladesh. UNESCO Representative in Bangladesh Susan Vice highlighted the importance of human rights–based digital governance and called for the implementation of UNESCO’s 2023 guidelines to ensure transparency, accountability, and access to information.
Dr. Kundan Aryal of Tribhuvan University shared Nepal’s experience, noting the limitations of purely legal or state-led regulation. He advocated for a holistic approach combining state regulation, self-regulation, and co-regulation, along with stronger media literacy and regional cooperation in South Asia.
