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French Ambassador to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy has emphasised the value of Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure (MSDI) in supporting sustainable blue growth, especially as Bangladesh considers developing earth observation satellite capabilities.
“With the promising prospect of Bangladesh acquiring an earth observation satellite system to enhance its sovereign capacity and effectively monitor the full extent of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the establishment of a national MSDI would be extremely timely and beneficial,” she said while speaking at a seminar.
Following the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) held in Nice this June, the Embassy of France hosted the third edition of its ‘Blue Talk’ series at the University of Chittagong (CU) recently in partnership with the Institute of Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC).
The seminar focused on the development of MSDI in Bangladesh, bringing together policymakers, researchers, hydrographers and international experts, said the Embassy on Wednesday.
An MSDI would enable the standardisation, integration and hosting of satellite and marine datasets, making observational products accessible to stakeholders for practical applications across marine sectors.
CU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Yahya Akhtar chaired the event.
Special guests included Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr Shamim Uddin Khan and Rear Admiral Khaled Iqbal, former Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Maritime University.
Key presentations were made by Dr Tonia Capuano of Expertise France, Commodore Sheikh Firoz Ahmed of the Bangladesh Navy, and international experts from Sri Lanka and Italy.
Ambassador Masdupuy said France’s goal is very clear: to protect oceans through tangible actions.
“One such action involves improving governance, as embedded in the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement)," she said.
The Ambassador commended Bangladesh for being among the first countries to ratify the BBNJ Agreement in September 2024.
This seminar follows previous Blue Talk editions on the blue economy (Nov 2024) and satellite data applications (Apr 2025).