NEW YORK: Representatives from Bangladesh confirmed on Wednesday their country’s decision to become a member state of the Saudi Arabia-based Digital Cooperation Organization. Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Bangladesh’s state minister for information and communication technology, and DCO Secretary-General Deemah Al-Yahya were at the signing of the agreement at UN headquarters in New York, which took place on the sidelines of the 78th UN General Assembly. “The Digital Cooperation Organization helps countries to accelerate digital transformation. By joining the DCO, we will be able to share best practices and work together to address common challenges and build a more inclusive and sustainable digital economy for all,” Palak said. Al-Yahya said she was excited to see Bangladesh join the DCO fold and looked forward to working with officials from the country in the future. “Bangladesh has made significant progress in digitalization and internet penetration rates, increasing digital literacy and developing initiatives to promote the use of digital technologies across multiple sectors,” she said. “The Digital Bangladesh Framework enables Bangladesh to become a digital knowledge-based economy and a leading global hub for digital services, marking a significant milestone in the country’s digital transformation journey and accelerating the inclusive growth of the digital economy. “The DCO provides a global platform for digital cooperation. We are eager to share knowledge and best practices to implement scalable, forward-looking, and transformative digital solutions that will bridge the digital divide and enable digital prosperity for all,” she added. Bangladesh, with a population of 173.2 million people and a gross domestic product of $460.2 billion, has consistently ranked among the world’s fastest-growing economies for the past two decades. It also recently announced its Smart Bangladesh Vision 2041, which aims to make Bangladesh a digital-first economy that will include appropriate policy intervention, co-creation principles to drive inclusive growth using emerging technologies and improved digital literacy among a skilled workforce.