GCDG’s Annual General Meeting Held and New Council Formed

The first annual general meeting of the Canada-based think tank organization “Global Center for Democratic Governance (GCDG)” was held on December 21 (Sunday) at 7 PM Bangladesh time. Twenty-three general members from 12 countries worldwide participated in this virtual general meeting.

At the beginning of the meeting, GCDG’s Executive Director, Md. Golam Kibria Talukder presented the annual report. The report revealed that the organization held 16 council meetings in the past year. Additionally, 12 research-based publications and 13 issues of GCDG’s newsletter “The Spotlight” were published. The report also noted that GCDG organized eight seminars, including special meetings with six high-ranking officials from various international organizations on the human rights situation in Bangladesh, as well as an in-person seminar at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva.

The organization’s financial report was presented by the Finance Director, Monirul Islam.

Participants in this annual general meeting included Dr. Molla Haque, Mohammad Munir Hossain, and Ivy Rahman from Australia; Professor Dr. Jamila A. Chowdhury from Bangladesh; Dr. A. B. M. Kamrul Hasan from Brunei; Md. Golam Kibria Talukder, Adv. Nazma Kawsar, Monirul Islam, Engineer Latiful Kabir, and Dr. Hasan Parvez Ahmed from Canada; Priyanka Islam from Denmark; Dr. A. T. M. Emdadul Haque from Malaysia; Professor Dr. Md. Abdur Rashid and Rakib Mirza from New Zealand; Dr. Kazi Mohammad Masudur Rahman and Engineer K M Tanvir Sikander from Saudi Arabia; Dr. Mohammad Selim Reza from Switzerland; Professor Dr. Md. Habibe Millat, Sharita Millat, and Barrister Shahjalal from England; and Professor Dr. Mohammad Shahidullah, Dr. Jamil Talukder, and Professor Dr. Shyamal Das from the United States.

Following discussions at the general meeting, the Council for 2026-2027 was formed by unanimous decision. In the newly formed council, Professor Dr. Md. Habibe Millat was re-elected as President and Md. Golam Kibria Talukdar was re-appointed as Executive Director. Additionally, Monirul Islam was re-appointed as Director of Finance, Professor Dr. Md. Abdur Rashid as Director of Publications, Professor Dr. Mohammad Shahidullah as Director of Research, Dr. Kazi Mohammad Masudur Rahman as Director of Community, Youth and Cultural Affairs, and Dr. Molla Haque, Dr. A. B. M. Kamrul Hasan, Engineer Latiful Kabir, Dr. A. T. M. Emdadul Haque, and Engineer Shafiqur Rahman Anu were re-appointed as Directors. New additions to the council include Dr. Hasan Parvez Ahmed as Director of Fundraising and Grant Applications, Professor Dr. Jamila A. Chowdhury as Director of Legal Affairs, and Professor Dr. Shyamal Das and Dr. Mohammad Selim Reza as Directors.