Population must be transformed into human resources: Speaker

Speaker of the National Parliament Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram has said a country's greatest asset is its population. The country's population must be transformed into human resources.

He said, "We must seize the opportunity of the demographic dividend. Development is not just about money; development must be ensured through changes in people's quality of life."

He made these remarks as the chief guest at a policy dialogue titled "Three Dividends, One Window: A Parliamentary Dialogue on Population and Development in Bangladesh" held at the oath room of the National Parliament on Thursday, September 10. The event was organised under the SPCIPD project implemented by the Bangladesh National Parliament Secretariat with technical support from UNFPA.

The event was chaired by Deputy Speaker of the Bangladesh National Parliament Barrister Kaisar Kamal, with a welcome address by Secretary of the Parliament Secretariat Barrister Md Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan.

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed said, "The demographic dividend, gender dividend and longevity dividend are all interconnected. Policy planning and implementation are needed for this."

He said, "Formulating policies alone is not enough to turn plans into reality. Alongside this, legislation and reform, effective use of budgets and ensuring accountability must be ensured."

The Speaker said, "MPs must implement and apply policies in their respective areas. Development opportunities must be ensured for every citizen. Opportunities for women's education, healthcare for the elderly and employment for the youth must be ensured."

Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaisar Kamal said, "A large portion of Bangladesh's population is young. If we can ensure the development of youth skills, we will not have to look back. We must move forward by utilising the skills of the youth and the experience of the elderly."

He said, "In a democratic country, public representatives work at the policy level. Priority must be given to sending skilled population and human resources abroad at the state's policy-making level."

With the changing structure of Bangladesh's population, separate policy measures are needed for the three separate windows of economic opportunity, and the keynote speakers spoke on "Bangladesh's Demographic Opportunity: Potential, Time and Risk."

Members of Parliament, representatives of UNFPA and the SPCIPD project, and senior officials from the Ministry of Planning and the National Parliament Secretariat were present at the event.