The National Youth Policy of Bangladesh (2017) states that young people between the ages of 18 and 35 are considered to be part of the youth category. According to the population census of 2022, this age group makes up almost 30% of the nation's total population of more than 50 million people.
The Citizen’s Platform for SGDs Bangladesh in partnership with United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Bangladesh and United Nations Poverty-Environment Action is organising a day-long conference on, “SDGs and Youth in Bangladesh: Present Perspectives and Future Outlook” on 1 September 2022, in Dhaka.
বাংলাদেশের যুব সমাজ নানা ধরণের আর্থ-সামাজিক বৈচিত্র নিয়ে একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ গোষ্ঠী। দেশের উন্নয়নের মূল চালিকা শক্তি হিসেবে এই যুব সমাজকেই চিহ্নিত করা হয়েছে বিভিন্ন আলোচনায়। কিন্তু এটি অনস্বীকার্য যে, চলমান কোভিড-১৯ অতিমারির অভিঘাত সব থেকে বেশি পড়েছে দেশের এই যুব সমাজের ওপরে।
Youth in Bangladesh do not belong to any homogenous group; instead, it incorporates gender diversity, disability, ethnic/religious minority, and vulnerable groups, including refugees, geographically or professionally lagged behind community, etc. At the same, the youths have been considered as the driving force towards the country’s development.
Although the youth at the national and local level was considered an important part of implementation and accountability in Sustainable Development Agenda-2030, it has not been implemented. The SDGs assumes that the youth will play a crucial role in the Voluntary National Review (VNR) and other related accountability processes.
টেকসই উন্নয়ন এজেন্ডা ২০৩০-এর বাস্তবায়ন প্রক্রিয়াকে অংশগ্রহণমূলক করার ওপর বিশেষ গুরুত্ব আরোপ করা হয়েছে। যুব সমাজকে এসডিজি বাস্তবায়ন ও জবাবদিহিতা নিশ্চিতকরণের ক্ষেত্রে জাতীয় ও স্থানীয় পর্যায়ে একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ অনুষঙ্গ হিসেবে বিবেচনা করা হয়েছে।
Youth make up more than a third of the national population in Bangladesh. The role of the youth has always been highly emphasized since the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) have been first conceived and Agenda 2030 has been adopted around the globe. Indicators that do not directly refer to the youth also have serious implications for the youth.
The government has various schemes and projects to create skill development and employment opportunities for the youth cohort of the country. But the public services, aimed for creating employment opportunities for the youth, are not being effective enough to meet the country’s long term employment target – 30 million jobs by 2030, due to the lack of coordination among various government agencies.
Youth of the marginalised groups, such as plain-land Adivasi and Dalit community, are deprived of getting access to public services required for education and skill development. It will require special attention from policymakers and public service providers to enhance their facilities and to improve their condition with a view to prepare them for employment.
Bangladesh is aspired to be a higher middle-income country and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Labour-productivity of Bangladesh would be far-behind than the higher middle-income countries in 2030, even lower than that of the lower-middle income countries as well as those of India and Vietnam.
