The national dialogue will see more than 300 delegates including government officials, private sector participants, NGOs, academia, social incubators, entrepreneurs and young business leaders, and youth participants.

They will advance discussions and identify solutions for startup financing, business to business opportunities and actions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The dialogue will be held at 2.30pm at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the city.

Secretary of Ministry of Youth and Sports Muhammad Abdullah, UNDP Bangladesh Country Director Sudipto Mukerjee and Citi Bangladesh Country Officer N Rajashekaran will be present at the closing ceremony. 

Youth Co:Lab is a multi-level response to tackle the challenges young people, including the most marginalized, face today in the Asia and Pacific region. 

A regional initiative co-led by UNDP and the Citi Foundation, Youth Co:Lab aims to establish a common agenda for Asia-Pacific countries to invest in and empower youth to accelerate implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through social innovation and entr¬preneurship. 

The programme will reach 18 countries across Asia Pacific by 2019, said a press release. 

 “In my relatively short period here in Bangladesh, I have been amazed at the incredible level of creativity amongst the young women and men, especially in the use of technology for social good,” said SudiptoMukerjee. 

 “Bangladesh has one of the largest demographic dividends with the young people accounting for more than 40% of the total population. We believe, Youth Co:Lab will foster an ecosystem in the country which will enable social and economic pathways for these entrepreneurs to be successful” said N Rajashekaran.