Speakers at a webinar have said it is critical to promote equal learning opportunities and gender-responsive environment for skill development and volunteer engagement to foster incredible youth contributions. The webinar titled ‘Volunteerism and Reimagining Youth Skills Post-Pandemic' was jointly arranged by UN Volunteers in Bangladesh and UN Women Bangladesh on Thursday. Read:'Volunteerism, Reimagining Youth Skills Post-Pandemic' webinar Thursday Women and Children Affairs Secretary Md Sayedul Islam spoke as the chief guest at the event.  "We’ll look into ways to work on incorporating more young people, volunteers, especially female volunteers, to include them in different initiatives and design programmes around their overall development, promotion and recognition," he said. Subhra Bhattacharjee, Strategic Planner and Head, United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office (UNRCO) in Bangladesh, said the positive effects of volunteerism can be very empowering for youth and young women in particular, providing access to social networks, new skills, and an influential role in the community for individuals who may otherwise have few formal routes to education or influence. "If we can properly utilize the huge young population and turn them into a skilled generation and inspire them to volunteer then we shall have the asset to leading towards a smoother path to achieving SDGs," said Md Azharul Islam Khan, Director General of Department of Youth Development. Md Aktar Uddin, Country Coordinator, UNV Bangladesh, pointed out that volunteering engagement can be an alternative tool for promoting skill development and civic responsibility among the youth. 

UN Volunteers (UNV) in Bangladesh and UN Women Bangladesh will arrange a webinar titled "Volunteerism and Reimagining Youth Skills Post-Pandemic" to mark World Youth Skills Day Thursday. The government, NGOs, INGOs, VIOs, CSOs, UN, youth organisations, corporate sector, civil society and other key stakeholders will join the session that will begin at 2:30pm. Read: Myanmar: Expert calls for “COVID ceasefire”; urges new UN resolution It will highlight the current situation of access to training and skill development for young people – namely for women – and also address the effective aspects of volunteerism for enhancing youth skills and opportunities. Issues such as promoting learning opportunities, advocating to ensure a better skill-developing environment, engagement in volunteering activities, and sensitising relevant authorities and stakeholders, will be discussed. Read:Pope to UN forum: Hunger is 'crime' violating basic rights Md Sayedul Islam, secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Subhra Bhattacharjee, strategic planner and head of United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in Bangladesh, Md Azharul Islam Khan, director general (additional secretary) of the Department of Youth Development, Aktar Uddin, country coordinator of UNV Bangladesh, Giulia Pelosi, programme specialist of Ending Violence against Women of UN Women, LigayaLaoengDumaoang, TVET specialist of ILO Bangladesh, Alisha Pradhan, founding CEO of HerNet TV, will be present at the session as speakers. The event will be broadcast live from the Facebook pages of UNV Bangladesh and UN Women Bangladesh. Covid-19 has impacted young people especially women in profound ways, amplifying the inequalities that they face every day, said the UN office in Dhaka. Read: No pathway to reach the Paris Agreement’s 1.5˚C goal without the G20: UN chief Though distance or online training has become the most common way of imparting skills, it comes with considerable difficulties and many young people do not have access to it. In this regard, volunteerism can play a vital role too to promote participation and skill development of youth and women, said the UN office.

Facebook has partnered with UN Women Bangladesh to conduct a daylong virtual programme on digital citizenship and online safety for over 80 participants from 30 grassroots and community organizations in Bangladesh. Representatives from Facebook led sessions covering a wide range of topics including managing digital presence, privacy tools, and online safety for women. Also Read: Women often assaulted online in Asia but find limited recourse: UN Women study “Women around the world are empowered by digital tools to organize for causes they care about. At Facebook, we continue to invest in digital literacy and citizenship, resiliency, and safety programs around the world, including Bangladesh. We are delighted to partner with UN Women in Bangladesh as we support and promote communities led by women and invested in women,” said Beth Ann Lim, Director of Policy Programs for Facebook in Asia Pacific. This workshop marks a continuation of Facebook’s partnership with UN Women Bangladesh which began on International Women’s Day in March this year, through LedByHer, a social media campaign to feature Bangladeshi women leaders and the role that digital platforms can play to tell their stories and build resilience. Later this year, Facebook and UN Women Bangladesh will be hosting a series of intergenerational dialogues between women of different ages from the same fields. Shoko Ishikawa, Country Representative for UN Women Bangladesh said digital space has given a new dimension to gender-based violence that continues to be normalized and embedded in our societies. Also Read: Facebook supports COVID-19 health awareness and vaccine rollout in Bangladesh UN Women Bangladesh is working with public and private universities to build the capacity of young women for creating positive content and counter misogynistic speech, she said. “We thank Facebook for this partnership and hope it will help organizations working on women empowerment, human rights and marginalized populations to use digital tools more effectively and build a more inclusive community.” Facebook regularly engages with civil society groups in Bangladesh and around the world to help inform its policies and programs. This workshop is just one of its investments to build a safer digital space in Bangladesh, especially for women. The company has plans to build on the workshop and work closely with organizations and community groups to increase their capacity and help create a more informed and responsible online community. Also read:90,000 adolescents to get training on online safety Last year, Facebook launched its flagship program We Think Digital in Bangladesh in partnership with the ICT Division, Ministry of Education and UNDP Bangladesh. This global program helps people improve their digital capabilities and promotes responsible digital citizenship, as well as critical thinking and sharing thoughtfully online.  

A virtual youth panel titled “WOMEN | PEACE | POWER: A Youth Perspective” was held Tuesday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security.

UN Women Bangladesh in collaboration with Unilever Bangladesh and Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEW&OE) launched a project on Saturday to support women returnee migrants with ‘dignity’ packages and health-hygiene kits in 10 districts across the country.