Youth voices remain unheard

To get the voices of grassroots youth heard, a National Youth Council consisting of national and divisional representation needs to be formulated urgently, speakers stressed at a webinar yesterday.

Titled "Implementing National Youth Action Plan in the Context of the Pandemic", the webinar was jointly organised by ActionAid Bangladesh and The Daily Star. In the session, discussants sought to explore the situation, challenge, and way forward for the National Youth Action Plan 2020 in the post-Covid period.

During her speech, ActionAid Bangladesh country director Farah Kabir said although the government has prepared the National Youth Action Plan 2020 -- four years after the initiation of the National Youth Policy 2017 -- the time has come to rethink how the plan will be implemented, keeping in mind the impact of Covid-19 on the youth population.

Meanwhile, Sabi Rani Rabidas, member of Nilphamari's Agrogami Jubo Foundation, discussed how the lives of young women have been affected by the onset of Covid-19.

"Due to the income loss of the families, many parents are marrying off their daughters at an early age, while a large number of young women were getting involved in day labour at the EPZ," she said. "This is compromising with their education, as well as physical and mental wellbeing."

As an example, Sabi shared a personal struggle. She said while it took her more than a year to complete her four-month-long driving training, she is yet to get her license, all of these delays being caused by the pandemic.

Presenting the strengths and shortfalls of the National Youth Action Plan 2020, Korban Ali, deputy manager, Youth Representation of ActionAid Bangladesh, recommended that the authorities hold a national-level dialogue with youth-led organisations to find ways to overcome the gaps in the implementing process.

In addition, he stressed the importance of forming a ministerial committee to maintain co-ordination between relevant ministries and departments.

Mahmudul Hassan, national consultant of UNDP, said there must be proper dissemination and sensitisation on the National Youth Action Plan 2020 to ensure that youth-led organizations and other relevant stakeholders are well informed about the process.

Meanwhile, Korvi Rakhsand, founder of Jaago Foundation, highlighted the undefined timeline of the implementation of the action plan and said there must be a specific time limit, otherwise it will be hard to know whether the plan is achieving its goals or not.

Nazmul Ahsan of ActionAid Bangladesh's Young People division said along with a Youth Council, the action plan mentioned formulating a steering committee. However, it is yet unclear when and how any of them will see the light of day.

"If these terms of modalities cannot be finalised, this action plan will remain just another piece of paper," he said.

In his speech, Dr Kazi Maruful Islam, professor of DU's Department of Development Studies, stressed the importance of creating and implementing any future plan with the consideration of emergencies like the Covid-19 pandemic.

Among others, Member of Parliament Aroma Dutta; Aktar Uddin, country co-ordinator of United Nations Volunteers; Refat Jahan Node, Youth Voice of Chattogram; Shammy Wadud, director of PR and Communications, UNYSAB; and Sadik Hassan Rohid, president of Kushtia's Shopnoproyash Jubo Sangstha, spoke at the event.

The event was moderated by Shamsuddoza Sajen of The Daily Star.