Dhaka March 10 2025:
36.40 per cent of surveyed youth (18-35) faced harassment in the past while expressing their opinion on freedom of speech.
Despite 89.40 per cent of surveyed youth being registered voters, 53.80 per cent have never voted in a national election, and 46 per cent have never voted in any local election.
35.20 per cent of surveyed youth expressed their interest in political participation and 30 per cent thought that youth involved in the political parties did not represent general youth viewed on political participation and representation in the survey.
40.20 per cent of surveyed youth said decent employment was not ensured and 55.40 per cent of surveyed youth’s voted that quality education was not delivered.
Since corruption and nepotism hinder equitable distribution and justice. 69.40% of youth respondents considered corruption and nepotism to be the main obstacles to the development of Bangladesh. On the other hand, 46.50 per cent considered a lack of transparency and accountability, and 32.60 per cent felt that prioritising the interests of vested groups was the main obstacle in connection of good governance in Bangladesh.
Such results were revealed from a discussion by Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh in a consultation titled “National SDG Report (VNR) 2025: Perspectives of the Left-behind, Youth and Business Leaders” on Monday in the city as part of the preparation process for the National Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Report (VNR) 2025.
Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, the Office of the Principal Coordinator for SDG Affairs at the Chief Adviser’s Office, Government of Bangladesh, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bangladesh jointly organised the consultation with business leaders which included group work to learn about the youth perspectives as regards SDG implementation in Bangladesh and the participation of youth in VNR preparation process.
The session was focused on critically important issues such as employment generation, responsible production and consumption, corporate social responsibility, and financing to achieve the SDGs. consultation amplified the voices of youth, particularly those from marginalised and disadvantaged communities, ensuring their perspectives are meaningfully integrated into the SDG review process.
The Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, identified multi-dimensional vulnerabilities as the primary factor driving the exclusion of certain
groups. It further developed a framework to define and understand marginalised communities.
Economic issues like decent employment, quality education and skill development, infrastructure and digital inclusion were emphasized in the session. Governance issues like inclusive society, good governance, freedom of speech, voice and participation, de-radicalization and voting rights were upraised during the session.
Social issues like health services, mental wellness, gender empowerment and drug abuse were focused and Environment issues like clean water and sanitation, climate justice, disaster management, responsible production and consumption were also addressed during the discussion.
The discussion focused on innovative strategies and collaborative approaches for aligning sustainable business practices with long-term national and global sustainability goals.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Convenor, Citizen’s Platform and Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD); Shihab Quader, Director General (SDG Affairs), Prime Minister’s Office, Government of Bangladesh and Anowarul Haq, Assistant Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bangladesh took part in the session, among others.
The discussion was moderated by Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Core Group Member of Citizen’s Platform and Distinguished Fellow at CPD.
Introductory presentation was made by Tarannum Jinan, Network Focal Point, Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh. Panel Presentation on Responsible Production and Consumption was made by Md. Fazlul Haque, Former President, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association (BKMEA) and Managing Director, Plummy Fashions Ltd.
The discussion was aimed to explore the role of trade bodies and businesses in driving sustainable development and ensure private sector contributions to the preparation of the Voluntary National Review (VNR).
Bangladesh is set to prepare its third Voluntary National Review (VNR) in the context of assessing the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) against the backdrop of a new national context.
As part of the government’s VNR preparation process, a series of consultations with diverse stakeholder groups will be organised to ensure broader ownership of the SDG delivery in Bangladesh.
The inputs received from these consultations are expected to inform and shape the key messages for the VNR.
