Take integrated policy for poverty reduction

They called for proper interventions by the authorities concerned in education, employment and socio-cultural areas to break the poverty-cycle which tends to further engulf the successive generations.

The speakers, comprising eminent scholars, researchers, educationists, government officials and young journalists, were speaking at a roundtable titled 'Youth and Development' at the auditorium of the Academy for Planning and Development at Nilkhet in the city.

The roundtable was organised by population sciences department of Dhaka University (DU) in cooperation with Dhaka University Journalists' Association (Duja) and United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) as part of its two-day programme marking the International Youth Day 2006.

This year's theme of the day was "Tackling Poverty Together."

The day has been observed round the globe since 2000 following a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly in 1999.

The speakers said the United Nations (UN) has introduced Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and Frameworks to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the government also has taken up some measures to combat poverty.

But these are not working properly as young people are not involved in them properly, they added.

The speakers urged the government to take up an integrated policy for poverty reduction along with PRSPs and MDGs.

Prof AKM Nurun Nabi of population sciences department, who moderated the roundtable, also presented a keynote paper on the occasion.

He focused on demographic situation of youth population, their education and reproductive health status and involvement in economic activities.

"As the youth is our next generation we should create scopes and give opportunities to them so that they can utilise their brilliance to reduce poverty," said Dr Pornchai Suchitta, UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh.

Md Sirajul Islam, secretary to youth and sports ministry, said millions of college and university students are getting frustrated as unemployment awaits for them on completion of their education.

"Our educational curricula do not adequately prepare them to meet the demands of the job market," he added.

Prof Harun-or-Rashid, dean of social sciences faculty of DU, said every year thousands of young people are finishing their graduation with a hope to enter the labour markets.

"But our labour markets are not big enough to accommodate large number of skilled young graduates," he said.

"This is partly because of our failure to link the educational system to the needs of the labour market," he added.

In the absence of opportunities in formal labour market, young people are also turning to self-employment in informal sector working in often hazardous conditions with low pay and prospects for future, observed.

DU Pro-Vice-chancellor Prof AFM Yusuf Haider, Director General of Department of Youth Development SM Waliur Rahman, Country Director, Bangladesh of Population Council Ubaidur Rob, Senior Research Fellow of BIDS Dr Sharifa Begum and many other persons attended the roundtable and spoke.