The Bangladesh News Desk was established as a pilot desk in 2010 in Dhaka, the capital. Bangladesh, which became independent in 1971, is encircled by India on the Bay of Bengal. It has a high population density, despite high rates of neonatal and maternal mortality. Its tropical climate already suffers from climate change with frequent national disasters, such as monsoons. Urbanization and globalization have also made young people in South Asia more prone to heart disease, cancers, diabetes and obesity.

GPI's first reporter at the Bangladesh News Desk has focused on women's rights, trafficking and weaknesses in the country's legal system.