DHAKA, Nov 18, 2023 (BSS) - Luna Shamsuddoha, a pioneer in Bangladesh's ICT sector, was posthumously awarded with "Meritorious Achievement Award" at 2023 International Electoral Awards Ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal.

 The ceremony was held by the International Center for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) and the National Electoral Commission of Portugal on November 15 in Lisbon.

The 'Meritorious Achievement Award' was conferred to the late Luna in recognition of her invaluable contributions and lifetime dedication to electoral management including formulation of finger-print and photograph based voter list in Bangladesh alongside her contribution in electoral management in different countries of the world.

The International Electoral Awards Ceremony stands as a beacon illuminating the tireless dedication and commendable achievements of individuals and organizations in the electoral domain.

The "Meritorious Achievement Award" was handed over to Reem Shamsuddoha, lone daughter of late Luna Shamsuddoha, at the function which was attended by many dignitaries from Electoral Commissions of the world.

Soreto de Barros, President, National Electoral Commission of Portugal, top level officials of election commissions of various countries and former Chief Election Commissioner of India Nasim Zaidi were present, among others, on the occasion.

The ICPS mentioned that Luna has been conferred this prestigious award this time due to her invaluable contributions in the electoral management of various countries of the world including in Bangladesh through the use of ICT.

It is mentionable that the international electoral award is considered as a bright platform for commendable successes for the concerned individuals and organizations in the global electoral domain.

The panel of Judges composed of Mr. Matt Gokhool, Chief Executive, International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS), was entrusted with the task of scrutinizing the nominees for the "Meritorious Achievement Award".

The other members of the judges panel were Soreto de Barros, President, National Electoral Commission of Portugal, Mr. Michael Bruter, Director, Electoral Psychology Observatory, Mr. Alberto Guevara, Former Director of the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (Mexico), Toby James, Director, Electoral Integrity Project, Thomas Hicks, Commissioner, U.S. Election Assistance Commission, John Hollins, Former Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Ontario, Sy Mamabolo, Chief Electoral Officer, Electoral Commission of South Africa, Laura Matjosaityte, Former Chairwoman, Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania, Natia Zaalishvili, Director, Centre for Electoral Systems Development, Reforms and Trainings of Georgia and Nasim Zaidi, Former Chief Election Commissioner of India.

AKM Shamsuddoha, husband of late Luna Shamsuddoha, said attaining such "Meritorious Achievement Award" posthumously by Luna is a matter of great pride as it is a very respectable accolade in the global electoral domain. He also recalled the tireless efforts of the engineers and officials of Dohatec New media for clinching such a feat.

It may be recalled that Luna Shamsuddoha was involved in the development of the software solution for voter registration with photographs and fingerprints for the National Election of 2008 in Bangladesh. Her firm Dohatec New Media was the solution partner. A voter list with multi-biometrics and de-duplication was created. This solution was new to the world and developed in Bangladesh.

This voter registration solution with multi-biometric was a first in the world and went to various countries through various vendors.

Luna Shamsuddoha, former chairman of Janata Bank PLC, died of colon cancer at a hospital in Singapore on February 17 in 2021 at the age of 53.