In an effort to promote democratic practices among youth, encourage inclusive participation, and ensure active involvement in local governance, SERAC-Bangladesh is implementing the “Strengthening, Harnessing, and Integrating Fair Transitions through Urban Youth Councils in Bangladesh (SHIFT)” project across five cities in Bangladesh—Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Rajshahi, and Khulna. As part of this initiative, Khulna City Corporation will establish an Urban Youth Council by electing 20 youth representatives aged between 18 to 35 years. The council will focus on representing youth opinions and leadership regarding local development planning, budget allocations, and issues such as health, education, and social services. An orientation meeting for the project was held on Tuesday, April 22nd, at the Shaheed Altaf Hall, Khulna City Corporation.
The meeting began with a welcoming session by Md. Salim Miah, Deputy Director (Program) of SERAC-Bangladesh, highlighting the project’s background, objectives, and potential. Lutfa Pathan, Project Manager of SHIFT, SERAC-Bangladesh, provided an in-depth presentation about the expected activities, structure, and sustainable impacts of the initiative in Khulna and the other four cities.
The main session, including an orientation and open discussion, was moderated by SM Shaikat, Executive Director of SERAC-Bangladesh. During the event, Lashkar Tajul Islam, Chief Executive Officer of Khulna City Corporation, delivered a keynote address in which he warmly welcomed the inclusion of a digital online voting system within the SHIFT project. He emphasized, “This is a timely and effective step that will enhance transparency and participatory engagement in the voting process in the future.” He further commented, “Through this project, we will inspire the youth of Khulna to actively engage in developmental activities at the city and ward levels. Their active participation will strengthen our urban governance system and offer them opportunities to grow as valuable assets for our country.”
In his address, SM Shaikat, Executive Director of SERAC-Bangladesh, noted, “The model being created through youth engagement is not only relevant to Bangladesh but can also serve as an example on the international stage. This project will lay the foundation for an inclusive and tech-driven governance system for youth, which may serve as a significant milestone for the future.”
In his speech, Bitan Kumar Mondal, Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) of Khulna, highlighted the urgent issue of youth unemployment and the need to expand vocational education and democratic involvement for young people. He added, “Through the SHIFT project, we must work to build trust among the youth, not just for themselves but for other groups in society as well.”
Sharif Asif Rahman, Secretary of Khulna City Corporation, emphasized the importance of ensuring that the 10,000 young voters enrolled for the Urban Youth Council election represent a diverse range of educational institutions and social strata across Khulna. He also stressed the need for the youth representatives to be not only educated but skilled and responsible citizens, as they will eventually be the leaders of the country.
Abir ul Jabbar, Chief Planning Officer and Acting Councilor-16 of Khulna City Corporation, discussed various potential plans related to urban development. He stressed the importance of ensuring that elected youth councilors can effectively communicate their opinions and proposals to the City Corporation officials. He also emphasized the need for coordination with ward councilors and a collaborative working mentality.
This meeting, organized jointly by SERAC-Bangladesh and Khulna City Corporation, saw participation from senior officials of Khulna City Corporation, acting councilors, local youth representatives, and civil society members.
The event was also attended by Ruhiyat Tasnim, Associate Program Development Officer, SERAC-Bangladesh, Rabeya Akter Munmun, Finance & Admin Officer, Kamran Mia, Network Officer (SHIFT), and Sumaiya Rahman, Project Officer (SHIFT) from SERAC-Bangladesh.