On 16^th September, 2020, Department of Law, East West University organised a webinar titled "Prospects and Challenges of Geographical Indications in Ensuring Local and Community Developments'. More than hundred participants from home and abroad including law students, faculty members, stakeholders and representative from WIPO were present in the program.

Professor Dr. Irene Calboli, Professor of Law at Texas A&M University School of Law, USA delivered the keynote speech where she outlined the legal framework for protecting geographical indication (GI) from international, regional and domestic perspectives.

She highlighted various prospects and challenges of protecting GIs in ensuring local and community developments with examples of GI goods and items from EU, Africa, Asia, particularly from Bangladesh, India and Italy. She concluded that despite the challenges, Bangladesh has good prospects to harness economic, social, cultural, local and community development through the protection of geographical indications.

Md. Belal Hossain, Examiner, Trademarks and Geographical Indications Unit, Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (DPDT), Ministry of Industries, Peoples' Republic of Bangladesh commented from the experience of Bangladesh and potentials thereof.

Professor Dr. Shima Zaman, Professor, Department of Law, University of Dhaka and Advisor, Department of Law, East West University made welcome remarks in the session. Dr. Md. Mehedi Hasan, Chairperson & Assistant Professor, Department of Law, East West University conveyed vote of thanks to all the participants.

Professor Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin, former governor of Bangladesh Bank, founding VC of East West University and current Chief Advisor of East West University, presided over the webinar and made the concluding remarks. He highlighted economic progress and human development of Bangladesh since the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent country. He proudly concluded with reference to the appreciation and endorsement of various international organisations and economists about the unprecedented development of Bangladesh.

The chair of the session also mentioned a list of potential products and goods of Bangladesh which could be protected as GIs. Mohammad Ataul Karim, Senior Lecturer of Law, East West University, moderated the webinar.

Event covered by Rahat Bin Bashar, student of LLM at East West University.