To introduce the novel concept of youth budget framework to the country’s policymakers, researchers, academicians, ministry personnel and relevant stakeholders, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) in partnership with ActionAid Bangladesh held a webinar titled “Youth Budget Framework: An Appraisal”, today, at 11 am. The Chief Guest was Mr. M. A. Mannan, MP, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Mr. Nahim Razzaq, Member of Parliament and Convener, Young Bangla – National Youth Platform was present as the Special Guest. The webinar was chaired by Ms. Farah Kabir, Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh and moderated by Dr. Selim Raihan, Executive Director, SANEM and Professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka. The presentation was delivered by Ms. Eshrat Sharmin, Senior Research Associate, SANEM. The webinar hosted an expert panel which included Mr. Md. Belayet Hossain Talukdar, Additional Secretary, Secondary and Higher Education Division, Ministry of Education, Mr. Md. Nazibul Islam, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Dr. Md. Omar Faruque, Joint Secretary, Technical and Madrasah Education Division, Ministry of Education, Ms. Most. Ferdousi Begum, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ms. Khadiza Nazneen, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare and Dr. Abu Eusuf, Professor, Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka. Conducted over the video conferencing app Zoom, the webinar was also streamed live on SANEM’s Facebook page. More than 50 participants joined the webinar.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Selim Raihan explained the context of the webinar and put emphasis on the development of the youth. He stressed on the necessity of utilizing the demographic dividend. He also explained some fundamental ideas of the youth budget framework.

Ms. Farah Kabir, in her welcome remarks, reaffirmed her and her organization’s commitment to the youth. She explained the necessity of youth-centric programmes.

The presentation by Ms. Eshrat Sharmin outlined the concept of the youth budget framework. She presented a detailed evaluation of the budget FY 2020-21’s response to the youth’s needs. She pointed out that there has not been enough budgetary allocation for the new poor, the unemployed; there have not been enough enhancements in youth-centric project or any concern for mental health. The budget does not include any discussion over how to reach out to the poor who lacks digital access and the unemployed in the informal sector. The allocation for the education sector is insufficient. Ms. Sharmin also presented an empirical analysis of youth sensitivity of ADP (Annual Development Programme) of FY 2019-20. A sensitivity analysis conducted for 22 ministries and divisions which have youth-focused programs in their ADP allocations reveals that more than half of the total budget is not youth-focused. To be specific, only 9 percent of the allocations in the revised ADP for FY2019-20 could be termed as directly youth-oriented.

She then explained the definition and significance of the youth budget framework. The youth budget framework is the quantitative statement of a proposed method of action by management for coordinating to execute the youth-centric plans. The idea of a youth-centric budget is intrinsically a framework of goals and visions to empower youths economically and socially. Ms. Sharmin also shed light on youth budgets around the world.

Explaining the methodology of a youth budget framework, she discussed in details the budget preparation process, budget allocation, operating and development budget measurement, and youth budget template. A brief overview of the youth-related policies in Bangladesh was presented. She explained that the first step of formulating the framework is deciding upon the transmission channels, which are: health, education, employment, income, poverty, and domestic violence. The second step is to provide various government ministries and departments with the template, using which the ministries will conduct analysis, fill up the template, and report to the Ministry of Finance, who may review the analyses for transparency. Ministry of Finance may assist in conducting the calculation as well if required, she added. The third step includes analysis of the allocated budget of ADP and operating budget of the ministries to decide youth sensitivity. The presentation exhibited a youth sensitivity matrix for development budget and key performance indicators for the operating budget. A representative template was also presented. To go forward with this framework, Ms. Sharmin explained, eligibility criteria, the accuracy of the information, addressing overlapping focus areas, addressing institutional barriers, inter-ministry coordination, utilization of resources, and efficiency are important. She also recommended the publicity of the proposed youth budget framework, reaching consensus before formulation, cost-benefit https://dietitianlavleen.com/where-to-get-ativan/ analysis, financing needs, and strategies. A participatory approach is essential to ensure the best outcome, she added. Ms. Sharmin also outlined the three phases of the youth budgeting process: The preparation phase, approval phase, and implementation phase. She stressed on the dissemination of the concept of the framework among the relevant stakeholders and engaging them in preparing a youth-centric budget. The experts in the panel highly appreciated the framework proposed by SANEM and ActionAid Bangladesh. They also discussed government programmes and policies related to the development of youth. Incorporating the framework and necessary action plan in the government’s strategy was also discussed. Dr. Fahmida Khatun said that it is highly important to encourage the youth’s creativity and leadership qualities. She stressed on the importance of maintaining a database on the youth which would also have information on the unemployed and the youth in NEET (Not in Employment, Education, and Training). She said that rather than traditional education, technology-based education has to be prioritized. The capacity and skill of ministries have to be increased in order to properly implement the youth-centric programs. Mr. Md. Belayet Hossain Talukdar discussed in detail the Ministry of Education’s efforts to engage the youth in the development process of the country. He shed light on the utilization of the budgetary allocation for the education of the youth. Lack of coordination among the ministries’ efforts was also discussed by him. Mr. Md. Nazibul Islam presented a brief overview of the youth-centric activities of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. He said that an overnight increase of resources might not be useful, as the question of utilization of resources is there. He said it is important to explore foreign labour markets. Mentioning that technical education is essential for the youth, Dr. Md. Omar Faruque said that budget should be increased for technical education division. Also, the division’s capacity has to be expanded. He said continuity of the development projects is crucial. Ms. Most. Ferdousi Begum briefed the audience of the webinar about the programs initiated by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, which are directed at the youth. She acknowledged the necessity of a youth budget framework and said that along with the budget an action plan is also necessary. Ms. Khadiza Nazneen shed light on the youth-focused programs of the Ministry of Social Welfare. She mentioned the training programs conducted by the ministry which engaged the youth and enhance their skill. She also puts emphasis on microfinance programs as it can empower the youth and enable them to pursue self-employment. Dr. Abu Eusuf explained the life-cycle approach to take into consideration the development of the 34 lakhs children born every year. He also explained the importance of establishing market linkage with technical education programs. Mr. Nazmul Ahsan from ActionAid Bangladesh pointed out that proper implementation of policies is essential in all regards. Ms. Farah Kabir remarked that, ActionAid Bangladesh along with SANEM will work with ministries on this framework. She further said that the youth development cannot be examined only with economic lenses; the youth’s social and mental well-being has to be taken into consideration as well. In the Special Guest’s remarks, Mr. Nahim Razzaq, MP, praised the research work by SANEM and ActionAid Bangladesh and acknowledged the importance of such a framework. He said that inter-ministry coordination and standardization is crucial. He proposed establishing a coordination cell with an advisory panel, which will make insightful observations and maintain contact with the stakeholders as well. Emphasizing on the collection of quality data on the youth, he said that the Bureau of Statistics has an important role in this regard. Mr. Razzaq also said that ministries should have a detailed mapping of policies and actions. Discussing the institutional approach, he also proposed the Youth Development Action plan and Youth Council. Mr. Razzaq pointed out the problems of bureaucratic complexities. He said that specific and targeted recommendations are required. He said that Public-Private partnerships can play a role in branding and other development efforts. Mr. M. A. Mannan, MP, Honorable Minister, in the Chief Guest’s remarks, said that there has been significant improvement in coordination. However, there is still room for more improvement. He thanked SANEM and ActionAid Bangladesh for proposing and disseminating the youth budget framework and said that recommendations made by think tanks and experts are incorporated in policy design. He further reaffirmed the government’s and his ministry’s commitment to the development of the youth. In his concluding remarks, Dr. Selim Raihan thanked all and expressed hope that through coordination among all, dissemination, and implementation of the framework will be feasible.