Asia Open Access (OA) event will provide an opportunity to learn about global trends, share information across Asian countries-Dr Md. Kabir Ikramul Haque, in his Inaugural Message

Inaugural Message by Executive Chairman, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council

Open Access Dhaka 2019, Inaugural Ceremony: March 6, 2019

Venue: BARC Conference Room-1

Hon’ble Chief Guest Mr Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Hon’ble Minister of State for Information and Communication Technology Division, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Respected Special Guest, Mr Kamalaranjan Das, Additional Secretary (Research), Ministry of Agriculture, Respected Guest of Honor, Dr Wais Kabir, Executive Director, KGF, Ms Kathleen Shearer, Executive Director of Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR), Distinguished delegates academicians, professors from different universities, representatives from Ministry of Agriculture, Member Directors, Directors of BARC, representatives from NARS, DAE, BADC and other organizations, print and electronic media personnel as well as other distinguished participants.

Ladies and gentlemen, Assalaumualaukum and very good morning

Let me welcome you all to the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC).

Thank you all for joining us. Indeed, it is my pleasure that at last we are here to meet and able to make the event ‘Asia Open Access 2019 Dhaka’ first time happened at BARC campus.

First, I want to thank Ms Kathleen Shearer, the Executive Director of Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR) for selecting BARC as the venue of the event. I have tried my best to give cooperation for making the program a success.

We are also thankful to the Ministry of Agriculture for giving us permission to organize this event. I am grateful to our Chief Guest for giving his valuable time to make this a successful program.

I came to know that Asia Open Access Dhaka 2109 is a regular event organized by the Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR) around the globe. This year, BARC has arranged this event in Collaboration with Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR). We know that the publicly funded research produced by the authors is not available to the people in this region. Therefore, we need to learn, discuss and agree upon the means and methods on how to make the research outputs (publications) available to all.

Asia Open Access (OA) event will provide an opportunity to learn about global trends, share information across Asian countries, and help with local strategies for increasing the adoption of Open Access in Bangladesh.

In fact, the event has a great opportunity for the country as the regional scholars, thinkers, researchers, intellectual community are participating here to make the event success by sharing their valued ideas and spirits. We know Bangladesh is a densely populated and digitally progressing country in South Asia. ICT stands as the top prioritized sector of the country’s policy. Agriculture is the key driving force to digitize other sectors of the country. It is the principal component of seventeen Global Goals (SDG). The sector is linked with all of the goals directly or indirectly. Everyone has a role to play in achieving this global agenda. Countries, institutions and people of the region need to work together to touch the goal.

We need to produce more quality food to feed our people and also make them earn profits without much loss. Whenever the data and information are made openly available, informed decisions can be taken by farming community and whenever the research outputs are made openly available, the agricultural sciences and the research progress in accelerating manner for the public good.

As BARC is the apex body of the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), it usually likes to take the leadership of making the data, information and knowledge available and accessible to promote linkage among the policymakers, researchers, educators and other stakeholders all over the country. So BARC can play a more effective role in sharing data, information and knowledge with the policymakers, researchers, educators of the world.

I hope this event will significantly make interested community contribute to using the open resources in their respective fields to attain the national targets. I wish whole-hearted co-operation for Open Access movement in the country.

I wish every success of this program. I am also ready to extend help and cooperation to strengthen the spirit of Open Access in future.

Thank you all.

Dr Md. Kabir Ikramul Haque

Executive Chairman

Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council