On Wednesday, the closing of the Bangladesh 9th National Youth Family Planning Conference took place. The two-day conference, organized by SERAC-Bangladesh, began on October 29. Key partners included USAID’s Adolescent Health Activity Project, Global Affairs Canada, Bangladesh Youth Health Action Network, Coalition of Youth Organizations in Bangladesh, FP2030, HealthBridge Foundation, Ipas Bangladesh, Jhpiego, Mott MacDonald, Marie Stopes Bangladesh, Pathfinder International, Share-Net Bangladesh, Youth Coalition for Climate Justice, and UNFPA Bangladesh, among other international and local organizations. More than five hundred adolescents and youth, along with national and international policymakers and health experts, participated in the conference.

Since 2016, SERAC-Bangladesh has annually organized this National Youth Family Planning Conference with support from the Directorate of Family Planning, Ministry of Health, and various national and international reproductive health organizations.

The theme for this year’s conference was “Empowering Youth – Ensuring Accessibility for All in Family Planning through Expanding Universal Reproductive Health and Education,” which also emphasized adolescent nutrition, health improvement, life skills, climate justice, and gender equality.

On the second day, the session titled “Women’s Empowerment and the Transformative Journey of a Young Pharmacist as an SRHR Advocate” was organized by UNFPA and Jhpiego Bangladesh, with Dr. Shahnaz Parveen, Program Specialist in SRHR at Jhpiego Bangladesh, as the moderator. Guests included Professor Dr. Saleha Begum Chowdhury, Vice President, OGSB; Thahina Zaman, Program Officer for Urban Health at Jhpiego Bangladesh; Bobby Rawal, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at UNFPA Bangladesh; Naushin Anjum Mrittika, Pharmacist, Komlafool Pharmacy Initiative; and Swapna Rani Mondal, Youth SRHR Champion. Female pharmacists shared inspiring stories on transitioning from volunteers to SRHR representatives, showcasing how initiatives to train female pharmacists contribute to increased SRHR awareness and promote male participation in family planning, supporting maternal health and youth involvement.

Marie Stopes Bangladesh hosted a session titled “Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) for Adolescents and Youth,” moderated by Monjun Nahar, Lead Advocacy at Marie Stopes Bangladesh. Panelists included Professor Dr. Sehereen F. Siddiqua, Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Anwar Khan Modern Medical College, and Kazi AKM Mohiul Islam, former Director General, Directorate of Family Planning. This session highlighted reproductive health and the importance of access to healthcare for individuals with special needs, promoting an inclusive society where everyone, especially those with disabilities, can access reproductive health services.

Pathfinder International hosted a session titled “New Generation Solutions: Youth Participation in Climate Action,” moderated by Azwad Bari, Knowledge Management and Learning Officer, Pathfinder International Bangladesh. Speakers included Md. Alamgir Haider, Project Manager, Women-Led Climate Resilience Project, and Sohrab Hussain, Manager of Partnership Program, Pathfinder International. The discussion focused on climate change, carbon emissions, and their impact on Bangladesh, while emphasizing SRHR activities during natural disasters.

FP2030 organized the session “The Importance of Life Skills Education in Strengthening the Health System,” led by Dr. Muhammad Munir Hossain, Program Analyst, Adolescent and Youth, UNFPA Bangladesh. Dr. Abu Jamil Faisal, CSO Focal Point, FP2030, presided over the session, with young speakers Iftikhar Ahmed Sakib, Vice President for External Affairs, Bangladesh Medical Students Society, and Sangeeta Sarker, Adolescent Youth Coordinator, BYHAN, discussing barriers to reproductive health services and FP2030’s initiatives.

Marie Stopes Bangladesh hosted a session titled “Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) for Adolescents and Youth,” moderated by Monjun Nahar, Lead Advocacy at Marie Stopes Bangladesh. Panelists included Professor Dr. Sehereen F. Siddiqua, Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Anwar Khan Modern Medical College, and Kazi AKM Mohiul Islam, former Director General, Directorate of Family Planning. This session highlighted reproductive health and the importance of access to healthcare for individuals with special needs, promoting an inclusive society where everyone, especially those with disabilities, can access reproductive health services.

Pathfinder International hosted a session titled “New Generation Solutions: Youth Participation in Climate Action,” moderated by Azwad Bari, Knowledge Management and Learning Officer, Pathfinder International Bangladesh. Speakers included Md. Alamgir Haider, Project Manager, Women-Led Climate Resilience Project, and Sohrab Hussain, Manager of Partnership Program, Pathfinder International. The discussion focused on climate change, carbon emissions, and their impact on Bangladesh, while emphasizing SRHR activities during natural disasters.

FP2030 organized the session “The Importance of Life Skills Education in Strengthening the Health System,” led by Dr. Muhammad Munir Hossain, Program Analyst, Adolescent and Youth, UNFPA Bangladesh. Dr. Abu Jamil Faisal, CSO Focal Point, FP2030, presided over the session, with young speakers Iftikhar Ahmed Sakib, Vice President for External Affairs, Bangladesh Medical Students Society, and Sangeeta Sarker, Adolescent Youth Coordinator, BYHAN, discussing barriers to reproductive health services and FP2030’s initiatives.

NutriTeens and International Adolescent Health Week- IAHW2024 organized the session “Teens Talk: Developing Health and Nutrition Practices for a Stronger Future,” moderated by Program Development Associate Katha Mondal Dristi and Lutfa Pathan, Program Officer at SERAC-Bangladesh. Guests included Dr. Md. Saiful Islam, Program Manager, National Nutrition Services, (DGHS). Dr. Md. Shamsul Haque, Program Manager for Adolescent and School Health Programs, (DGHS) and Asfia Azim, Deputy Country Director, Nutrition International.

NEARS hosted “Collaboration and Partnership for Adolescent Health Development,” chaired by Dr. Ikhtiar Uddin Khandaker, Chief of Party, USAID’s CNHA Project, and Health and Nutrition Director, CARE Bangladesh, along with Monjun Nahar, Lead Advocacy, Marie Stopes Bangladesh. Panelists included S M Shaikat, Executive Director of SERAC-Bangladesh, and youth speaker Jony Akter, SRHR Champion.

The session “Creating Synergies – Health, Gender, and Climate,” organized by Bangladesh Youth Health Action Network, CYOB, and Youth Coalition for Climate Justice, was moderated by Dr. Tareq Salahuddin, Editor, News Hour. Panelists included Professor Dr. Nawzia Yasmin, Pro-Vice Chancellor, State University of Bangladesh; Dr. Mohammad Zahirul Islam, Health Advisor, Swedish Embassy; and Golam Morshed, Campaign Coordinator, Youth Coalition for Climate Justice (YCCJ).

UNICEF Bangladesh hosted the session “Adolescents and Mental Health,” moderated by Dr. Sabrina Rafi, Health Officer, UNICEF Bangladesh. Panelists included Dr. Helal Uddin Ahmed, Professor, Child, Adolescent, and Family Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and Dr. Sifat E. Syed, Assistant Professor (Child Mental Health), BSMMU, Dr. M. Kamruzzaman Mozumder, Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Dhaka; Dr. Dewan Md. Emdadul Haque, Health Manager (MNC & AH), UNICEF Bangladesh; with young discussants Farabi Zaman, General Member, BAPSA, and Md. Sajal Asfaq, Youth Champion. The session explored mental health issues and ways to support adolescents through professional counseling and healthy practices.

The conference concluded with an exhibition commemorating the July-August Movement of 2024, and another session organized by Share-Net Bangladesh under “The Power of Communication,” led by Jannatul Munia, SRHR Knowledge Management Expert at Share-Net Bangladesh.

The closing session was moderated by S M Shaikat, Executive Director of SERAC-Bangladesh, with chief guest Dr. Shah Md. Helal Uddin, Additional Secretary (Planning), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Notable speakers included Edward Cabrera, First Secretary (Development-Health), Canadian High Commission; Dr. Abu Sayed Md. Hasan, SRHR Specialist, UNFPA Bangladesh; and Kishwar Imdad, Country Director, Marie Stopes Bangladesh. Awards were presented to recognize young change-makers and notable contributors to youth and family planning efforts in four categories; for Lifetime Achievement Dr. Abu Jamil Faisel, Youth Excellence- Tasnia Ahmed, Adolescent Champion- Md. Masum Billah, and Exemplary Partnership- UNFPA Bangladesh.