Home ›› 14 Feb 2023 ›› Nation
Harnessing the innovative potential of youths and adolescents in adopting development programmes can help implement the sustainable development goals (SDGs) ensuring reflection of their views.
The opinion came at a seminar titled “Adolescent and Youth Engagement in Development: Northern Bangladesh Context” held at the Teesta conference room of RDRS Bangladesh in Rangpur on Sunday.
A group of volunteer organisations of teenagers with the assistance of UNICEF and Rangpur City Corporation organised the dialogue with the participation of over 50 youths and adolescents from different upazilas of Rangpur district.
Newly appointed UNICEF Rangpur and Rajshahi Divisional Chief AH Towfique Ahmed, Secretary of Rangpur City Corporation secretary Ummey Fatema, representatives of volunteer organisations Hritik, Munim, Proggya Parmita, Moumita Hiya, Hossain, Al Amin, Lubna and officials of UNICEF Rangpur office participated in the discussion.
The participating youths and students raised issues like enhancing awareness about the Covid-19 vaccine, ensuring a life free from child marriage and child labour, a child-friendly environment and services and a violence-free and discrimination-free life for children and adolescents.
They expressed their opinions on reducing the use of plastic and making and using reusable eco-friendly safe products, introducing climate change adaptation technologies and using energy-efficient and affordable technologies for addressing environmental challenges.
They said women and children are most vulnerable to sexual abuse and violence in any kind of natural disaster, economic crisis or humanitarian situation and teenage girls become victims of online harassment and cyber-bullying.
They stressed increasing youth participation in planning non-discriminatory development programmes and social systems ensuring participation of Hijra and transgender communities, strengthening awareness programmes against sexual harassment and violence and prevention of child marriage, improving quality of health services, raising awareness about safe reproductive health care and adolescent health care in development programmes.
AH Towfique Ahmed highly appreciated the public awareness programmes taken by members of the volunteer organisations of youths and adolescents since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He especially emphasised coordination of voluntary organisations and taking up training and comprehensive programmes to ensure the reflection of opinions of youths, children and adolescents in the development programmes.
