With a vision to amplify youth voices in city governance and build more inclusive, sustainable urban communities, SERAC-Bangladesh has launched a transformative initiative to form Urban Youth Councils in five major city corporations—Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Rajshahi, and Khulna—under the SHIFT (Strengthening, Harnessing, and Integrating Fair Transitions through Urban Youth Councils in Bangladesh) project.
In Khulna city, this effort will culminate in the formation of a 20-member Urban Youth Council, composed of dynamic young leaders aged 18 to 35. The council aims to become a bridge between the youth and city authorities integrating their perspectives into key areas such as development planning, budget decisions, health, education, and social services.
As part of this initiative, the Urban Youth Council in Khulna City Corporation will be formed through the selection of 20 young representatives aged between 18 and 35. The council will work to integrate youth opinions into the city corporation’s local development planning, budget allocation, and decision-making in areas such as health, education, and social services.
To support this goal, a workshop on the Urban Youth Council Guideline was organized on Wednesday, May 14, at a local hotel in Khulna by Khulna City Corporation in collaboration with SERAC-Bangladesh. The session was moderated by Md. Salim Miah, Deputy Director of Program, SERAC-Bangladesh, while the project presentation was delivered by the Project Manager Lutfa Pathan.
In his welcome remarks, Executive Director of SERAC-Bangladesh, S M Shaikat, emphasized the vital role of youth councils in creating equitable cities through youth empowerment. He stated, “An inclusive guideline developed with participation from all stakeholders will pave the way for this goal. A city cannot become livable, sustainable, or youth-friendly if young people are excluded or underrepresented in planning processes.”
The event’s chief guest, Khulna Divisional Commissioner and City Corporation Administrator Md. Firoz Sarkar, highlighted the importance of youth participation in urban governance. He praised the Urban Youth Council initiative as commendable and noted that proper recognition of the skills and potential of the country’s large youth population could significantly boost economic growth. He also called upon all public and private institutions to work together in this regard and urged all Khulna City Corporation staff to fully support the formation of the Urban Youth Council.
Special guests delivered their remarks at the workshop included Additional District Magistrate Dipankar Das, Secretary of Khulna City Corporation Sharif Asif Rahman, Chief Assessor of Khulna City Corporation Sheikh Hafizur Rahman, and Assistant Director of the Department of Youth Development S M Badiuzzaman.
Youth council representatives from four existing Urban Youth Councils also joined the event: Robin Mia from Mymensingh City Corporation, Dr. Amanullah Bin Akhtar Abid from Rajshahi, Rakibul Islam Ifti from Narayanganj, and Syeda Rehena Parvin from Rangpur shared their experiences.
The workshop also included the active participation from senior officials of Khulna City Corporation, acting councilors, local youth representatives, and members of civil society organizations including Rupantar, Susilon, Prantoj Foundation, APOSH, RightSight Education, With She, Aguwan-71, ADRC, Volunteer for Bangladesh, Baizid Climate Institute, WBB Trust, Food Banking Khulna Kalyan Sangstha, among others.
Also present were SERAC-Bangladesh’s Associate Program Development Officer Ruhiyat Tasnim, Finance and Admin Officer Rabeya Akter Munmun, Network Officer Kamran Mia, and Project Officer Sumaiya Rahman.
All participants provided valuable feedback on the Urban Youth Council Guideline and contributed to the formation of a consultative group. They expressed optimism that this would play a significant role in fostering future youth leadership.
