BD calls for collective action to tackle global economic challenges

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Saturday said Bangladesh, as a responsible neighbour and an active member of the United Nations and other international bodies, calls for a rule-based international order and collective action to address global economic challenges.

"We support active engagement to promote dialogue, confidence-building, and cooperative solutions to shared concerns," he said while speaking at the Inaugural session of SAFA (South Asian Federation of Accountants) International Conference in Dhaka.

Chairperson of Bangladesh Competition Commission AHM Ahsan and Chairman of Financial Reporting Council (FRC) Bangladesh Dr Md Sajjad Hossain Bhuiyan attended the conference as special guests.
Organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB), the conference was themed "Next Generation Profession: Converging Ethical AI and Sustainability Reporting."

For Bangladesh, the Adviser said, the proposed convergence of technology and sustainability is particularly significant.

"Our pursuit of economic growth and deeper global integration requires that our professionals remain not only technically proficient, but also ethically grounded and socially responsible," he said.

The Adviser said platforms such as this conference play a vital role in facilitating the exchange of knowledge, sharing of best practices, and fostering of meaningful collaborations.

"Such engagements can steer both the region and the global community toward a sustainable, inclusive, and technologically advanced future," he said.

The keynote speech was delivered by Adeeb Hossain Khan FCA, past President of ICAB and Senior Partner at Rahman Rahman Huq, Chartered Accountants.

Khan emphasised that the adoption of AI in sustainability reporting is "no longer a distant concept, but a structural shift already influencing how economic value is created, measured, and disclosed."

Delegates from Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka took part in the event, which featured three technical sessions and a valedictory session.

The global accounting profession is entering a new phase as Ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Sustainability Reporting begin to converge, reshaping business risk, investor public trust expectations, and, experts highlighted at the SAFA international conference.

Organisers said presence of high professionals in the conference demonstrated strong government support for elevating professional excellence, ethical standards, and international collaboration in the accounting and finance sectors.

Adviser Hossain emphasised that the convergence of technology and sustainability is crucial for shaping a 'new Bangladesh'.

AHM Ahsan highlighted that technological advancement presents both opportunities and challenges, and observed that AI-driven systems can boost efficiency, strengthen compliance, and foster innovation.

Without strong ethical frameworks, AI also poses risks such as algorithmic collusion, market dominance abuses, opacity, and exclusionary practices.

He urged that AI be adopted with caution to ensure that Bangladesh can fully and responsibly harness its benefits.

For the first time in Dhaka, ICAB hosted Jean Bouquot, President of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), the world's apex body of the accounting profession, along with Ashfaq Yousuf Tola FCA, Adviser to the South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA), as guests of honor.

Bouquot underscored the more transparency in financial disclosure while adopting AI could give additional benefits the professional to deliver the services efficiently.

ICAB President NKA Mobin FCA delivered the address of welcome, while Muhammed Farhad Hussain FCA, Past President of ICAB and Chairman of the Conference Organizing Committee, also spoke.

Muhammed Farhad Hussain said, "Next Generation Profession: Converging Ethical AI and Sustainability Reporting" reflects not only where the world is heading, but also where the profession must lead. �"UNB