Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC) began their four-day Youth Leadership Summit on August 4. The virtual summit, supported by Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK, brought together over 300 delegates from 149 educational institutions across 45 districts.

The theme of this year's summit is 'Journey towards an inclusive Bangladesh' and the sessions will be focusing on the concerns of marginalised youth. The event intends to facilitate an intergenerational dialogue on issues and challenges that limit the youth's inclusive participation in public, private, and civil sectors.

Dr A K Abdul Momen, MP, Honourable Foreign Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, was the chief guest at the opening ceremony. Other panelists included Dr Gowher Rizvi, International Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and International Advisory Board Member, BYLC.

Alexandra Berg von Linde, Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh, Milan Pavlovic, Acting Mission Director and Resident Legal Officer, USAID/Bangladesh and K M Tariqul Islam, Director General, NGO Affairs Bureau, The Prime Minister's Office, Bangladesh, were also in attendance.

The event was moderated by Ejaj Ahmad, Founder and President, BYLC. "Through this summit, we hope to mobilise the youth to take a step forward in building a country that has space for all its citizens, not just the privileged few," he said.

The panelists emphasised on the importance of the youth's active engagement in order to ensure an inclusive society. They also explained why embracing diversity matters in the practice of leadership. "Diversity is essential to allow people to challenge each other's assumptions and make them understand each other in a better way," Gowher explained.

During his speech, Momen highlighted the role of diversity and inclusivity in pursuing sustainable peace. "The very prerequisite of democracy is ensuring equality among all citizens. It is extremely crucial to embrace diversity and inclusiveness to have a functional democratic process," he asserted.

The opening ceremony was followed by a plenary that reflected on Bangladesh's achievements and challenges for an inclusive society after 50 years of independence. The speakers included Md Abir Hasan, Co-founder, Youth Policy Forum, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Executive Director, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, Philip Gain, Founder and Director, Society for Environment and Human Development, Runa Khan, Founder and Executive Director, Friendship and Barrister Manzoor Hasan OBE, Executive Director, Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University and Board Member, BYLC

They discussed the role of youth in shaping the future of an inclusive Bangladesh. "We have achieved outstanding statistics in terms of education, gender parity, and many other developmental issues because our youth has mobilised and contributed greatly to the nation's development," Runa said.

They shared their reflections from work, while also talking about the initiatives taken by the government in overcoming the challenges faced to ensure inclusion. "We need to hear the voices of young people and prioritise a mindful growth model nurturing and encouraging our fresh talent positively over a rigorous GDP growth," Abir added.

The first day ended with a team building activity where delegates had the opportunity to discuss and craft a shared vision for an inclusive Bangladesh. The workshop was conducted by Munira Sultana, Senior Executive, Leadership, Development and Training, BYLC. The delegates learnt how to develop an action plan in order to accomplish the vision and prepared a draft which primarily focused on interventions.

The author is a freelance journalist who likes reading, planning, and scribbling. Email: mislammonamee@gmail.com.