The British Council in partnership with Bangladesh Youth Policy Forum (YPF) and in collaboration with the Department of Youth Development (DYD) of the Government of Bangladesh organised the first divisional workshop at the Hotel Metro International in East Bandar Bazar on February 13, 2024 in Sylhet. Sixty participants from various young communities, the government, development professionals, youth-led groups, academicians, research institutes, and think tanks shared their opinions, views, and suggestions about the current youth policy framework.
The British Council has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Department of Youth Development (DYD) of the Government of Bangladesh, forging a powerful partnership to empower young people with essential skills and unlock their potential.
As part of this LoI, the British Council, in partnership with Bangladesh Youth Policy Forum (YPF) and in collaboration with the Department of Youth Development (DYD) of the Government of Bangladesh, will be facilitating eight divisional policy workshops (Divisional Workshop on National Youth Policy and Action Plan) and compiling the findings as a report for each divisional workshop to best accommodate the voice of grassroots youth, youth organisations, and other stakeholders. Understanding the alignment of young people’s aspirations and priorities with the National Youth Policy and the corresponding Action Plan is the main aim of these sessions. In order to highlight the recommendations on the National Youth Policy and the Action Plan, British Council seeks to involve the youth, government, development practitioners, youth-led organisations, academicians, research institutions, think tanks, and other organisations at every stage of the process.
M A Akher, Director of Planning, Department of Youth Development (DYD), said, “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the British Council to organise the first of eight divisional workshops on National Youth Policy & Action Plan, which is attended by diverse stakeholders including Department of Youth Development representatives, young entrepreneurs, youth organisers, y-led CSOs from all the districts under the Sylhet division. The National Youth Policy which was formulated in 2017 is subjected to be reviewed after every 5 years, and I hope from this workshop we’ll gain valuable insights from the audience which will be forwarded to the cabinet/appropriate authority so that they take the insights into account during the National Youth Policy 2017 review.”
Tom Miscioscia, Country Director, British Council, said, “The British Council is committed to working with young people and the Government of Bangladesh to help the nation realise the true potential of youth. We believe these policy roundtables will serve as an important reference to learn what young people think and recommend about the National Youth Policy of Bangladesh.”
Eight policy roundtables in eight divisions will be followed by eight reports. The policy talks will be attended by various stakeholders, including the government, development organisations, academicians, think tanks, and research institutions. It will be finalised considering the needs, aspirations, and priorities of these diverse groups. A one-day national policy roundtable will be organised in Dhaka to review and revise the reports generated from eight divisional workshops and to consolidate the findings. The policy will be aiming to create an enabling environment for youth development.