Youth: a boon for economy

DHAKA NEWS

The majority of youth population in Bangladesh could be a boon for the country as young people have emerged as a major force behind economic development in many Asian countries, speakers at a discussion said yesterday.

Three out of four people in Bangladesh are below 40 years, which could impact the growth story, they said.

Bangladesh's young population should be open-minded and tolerant to new ideas, cultures and religions and also be knowledgeable and hard-working to become global citizens, they suggested.

Their comments came at the seminar on "Global citizenship: a step forward" as part of the "Youth Leadership Summit 2012" at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka.

Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC) organised the three-day event with the theme “Leading Bangladesh into the future: a journey of exploration.”

Neal Walker, United Nations resident coordinator in Bangladesh, said the youth population around the world accounts for a fifth of the world's population. "This is your world and you are going to change it."

The youth has the potential to contribute to creating a better world, Walker said. "To become a global citizen, you need to know your country first to be able to appreciate other countries."

He urged the participants to get involved in any work that gives the individual satisfaction because all jobs give dividend. "By doing so, you will learn how to get things done and get results."

He said the youth issue is one of the top five agendas of the current UN secretary general. "The UN aims to strengthen participation of the youth in decision making process."

Walker said the opinion of the youth served the key ground for the recent political and social changes in the Arab world, similar to the Language Movement and the Liberation War in Bangladesh.

The UN official said Bangladesh has been known as a land of storms, floods and typhoons. "But that is a small part of the success story of the country."

"Bangladesh is one of the few countries that are on track to achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals."

Michael Kuehner, chief executive officer of Robi Axiata Ltd, a mobile operator, said leadership is the key requisite for development, and the youth has always played a critical role in development.

He said youth is one of the biggest resources for any country to have. Unlike many other countries, Bangladesh has a lot of resources in terms of the youth. It is a good thing.

Kuehner said the youth is contributing to the economic growth in many countries to a large extent.

He said economies of the deve-

loping countries, which have a big class of youth, are growing.

Asia, for example, is growing as its youth population is energetic, hardworking and entrepreneurial, he said adding that youth should be given proper training and opportunities so that they can tap their potential.

He urged the country's growing young population to excel in English to connect themselves with the rest of the world in an effective way.

Kuehner said global citizenship faces many challenges. It is not fully covered by legal framework in most countries that are making it impossible for the youth to act globally.

Shiro Sadoshima, Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh, urged the participants to think big.

Bangladesh has given so many things to the world, he said. "Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus' microcredit has been replicated in many countries. Many countries have accepted the idea as an important tool to fight poverty."

Anam urged young people to be open-minded, tolerant, knowledgeable and hard-working to become leaders.

Ejaj Ahmad, president of BYLC, also spoke at the summit, which began yesterday.