National Validation Workshop on the Draft National Youth Policy 2026

The workshop was held on Wednesday at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka, organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports with support from UNFPA Bangladesh and VSO Bangladesh. About 110 representatives from government institutions, youth representatives, development partners, UN agencies, civil society, academics, and the private sector participated.

At the workshop, discussions were held on the relevance, implementability, and outline of the draft policy prepared by updating the National Youth Policy 2017. It was reviewed whether the aspirations of young people and the country’s diverse realities have been properly reflected in the policy.

In his speech as chief guest, Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Md. Mahbub-ul-Alam said that emphasis must be placed on artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and future-oriented skills to prepare young people for employment, entrepreneurship development, innovation, and social participation.

In his presidential address, Director General of the Department of Youth Development Md. Motahar Hossain emphasized strengthening grassroots-based youth development. He said that, keeping pace with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, youth are being made skilled in modern skills including AI, freelancing, and digital marketing, while youth services are being made easily accessible on digital platforms.