Experts Stress Need for Youth Voices in Policymaking

Bangla Press Desk:   The Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the University of Chittagong have jointly organised a week-long series of events aimed at promoting evidence-based policies and programmes to improve adolescent and youth wellbeing in Bangladesh.The initiative, held in Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Dhaka, brought together researchers, policymakers, development practitioners and young people to discuss challenges facing adolescents and ways to address them effectively.

Bangladesh is home to around 36 million adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years, accounting for nearly one-quarter of the country’s population. Organisers said targeted investments during adolescence can have long-term positive impacts on education, employment, health and future wellbeing.

Despite notable progress in social and educational indicators, challenges such as school dropout, child marriage and stigma surrounding sexual and reproductive health continue to affect young people across the country, speakers observed.

The programme also highlighted the situation of Rohingya refugee adolescents living in camps in Cox’s Bazar, many of whom face uncertainty and limited opportunities due to prolonged displacement.

An international conference on adolescent and young people’s wellbeing was held at the Department of Anthropology of the University of Chittagong on May 11 and 12.

More than 300 local and international scholars, students and development professionals attended the conference, which focused on issues including education, employment, health, psychosocial wellbeing, bodily autonomy, climate resilience, digital access and humanitarian crises.

Vice Chancellor of the university Professor Dr Mohammad Al-Forkan stressed the need to utilise research findings and policy insights to ensure opportunities for every adolescent to thrive.

Tahera Jabeen, Social Development Adviser at the British High Commission in Dhaka, said strong evidence is essential for effective policymaking and programme implementation.

She said the GAGE programme, supported by the UK government, is generating critical evidence on what works for adolescents globally and reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting adolescent development initiatives in Bangladesh.

UNFPA Bangladesh Representative ad interim Masaki Watabe underscored the importance of involving young people directly in policy and programme design.

“Initiatives for adolescents and young people must be created with them, not just for them,” he said, adding that young people’s participation should move beyond consultation to meaningful leadership.

As part of the conference, GAGE organised workshops for early-career researchers on longitudinal data analysis and participatory qualitative research methods to strengthen national research capacity.

On May 13, organisers also held community feedback sessions with Rohingya adolescents in Cox’s Bazar to share findings from research conducted in refugee camps and encourage direct engagement with the evidence gathered through their participation.

The event series concluded in Dhaka on Wednesday with a UN-wide briefing hosted by United Nations Population Fund titled “Growing up in Bangladesh: Longitudinal Evidence on Adolescent Wellbeing and Transitions 2016–2026.”

The discussions focused on education, economic empowerment, health, mental health, sexual and reproductive health rights, and protection from age- and gender-based violence, aiming to place adolescents and young people at the centre of future policy priorities.