GP, UNDP team up to empower youth in Bangladesh
Grameenphone and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) toward empowering youth of Bangladesh.
Acting CEO and chief financial officer of Grameenphone Jens Becker and resident representative of UNDP Bangladesh Sudipto Mukerjee signed the MoU on behalf of their respective sides in presence of other high officials from both organisations, said a press release.
It said the MoU will enable both organisations to collaborate on exploring avenues and potential programmme designs to accelerate the nation’s future economic growth by enhancing the skills and potential of Bangladesh’s massive young population dividend.
The MoU emerged in the context of the post-Covid world as a collective effort to empower Bangladesh’s young workforce by identifying opportunities for development, employment, entrepreneurship, and investment opportunities.
A large percentage of this population is expected to contribute to the country's economy. But due to various impediments, including the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis, reaping the benefits of this youth dividend is threatened, it reads.
The release further said the MoU will focus the organisations, along with relevant stakeholders from government, development and private sectors, on efforts to facilitate the vision “Economic Opportunities for All” and to become leading enablers of catalysing a conducive environment for enhanced economic opportunity.
“This MoU presents Grameenphone with an opportunity to continue to contribute to enhancing economic and educational opportunities for Bangladesh’s youth. By collaborating with the UNDP and governmental stakeholders we believe the opportunity to design and implement successful programmes is greatly increased,” said Jens Becker.
Sudipto Mukerjee said, “As Bangladesh adapts to Covid-19, this collaboration with Grameenphone will support the youth of Bangladesh to recover from the pandemic and fast-track the journey of Bangladesh towards Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.”
The collaboration has been evolved as an outcome of a post-Covid-19 recovery multi-sector partnership platform initiated by UNDP last year, the press release read.