Youths urged to take country to reach its goal
Urging the youth to take the lead, Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed on Thursday said the real war had actually started after the Liberation War and now the fight is “within ourselves against sins, bad decisions and greed”.
“You the youth; you have to go forward to take this country to reach its goal of development. Now the fight is within ourselves and our sins, our bad decisions and our greed,” the prominent writer and chairman of Bishwa Sahitya Kendra told a function in the city.
He urged the youth to make a turnaround to stay beside helpless common people of the country who are the victims of powerful people. “Most people of this country are distressed and unhappy. To me, patriotism means trying to make these people happy and cheerful,” he added.
The UN Country Team arranged the programme and cultural show as the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre to celebrate the UN Day 2013. The theme of this year’s day is ‘Youth for Development and the UN upheld the spirit of the theme by not only inviting various youth groups to attend the function but also by having a youth representative speaking on their behalf as well.
Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, UN Resident Coordinator Dr Thushara Fernando and officer-in-charge of UNIC KA Reza and Youth Representative Junanjina Ahmed Trina also spoke on the occasion.
Prof Sayeed said all need not to reach the Everest as everybody has a mountain inside his heart which is a mountain of dream. “I strongly believe that each human being has his or her own Himalayas in their hearts and we have to scale up those mountains. We all together, the entire national will win that mountain.”
Giving his own thought on the concept of success he said, “Sometimes, thieves and touts become successful. In our country 90 percent thieves and touts are successful. Most important is that every person is a garden of flowers. To me, success means the realization of the good qualities of a human being.”
He said each of the youth should have a dream, trust and confidence that they have the ability to do what they want to do. “Please follow this advice and remember you’re the rulers of your own world.”
While speaking at the event, Dipu Moni traced the history of the youth of Bangladesh and how they shaped the history of the country. “We need to ensure wider participation of our youth in mainstream development process to channel their energy into constructive national building initiatives,” she said.
The Foreign Minister further said it was of paramount importance to keep hearing the voices of the youth to understand what their real priorities are.
“This I believe should be cardinal to the Post-2015 development agenda since it will be the youth of today for achieving the international development goals that will be set under this agenda,” she said.
Earlier, Dr Thushara Fernando opened the event with a speech that focused on the role of the youth not only in Bangladesh but around the world.
Speaking on the occasion he said, “Youth in Bangladesh can be significant contributors to the country’s economic development. There must be opportunities linked to youth-centred development that is not only based on inclusive social development but identifying the human capital of this generation’s young people. This means sustainable and equitable economic growth.”
He went on: “The UN in Bangladesh has begun this process and we’ve established an inter-Agency Theme Group to implement the Secretary-General’s agenda at national level. The Youth Theme Group aims to provide a platform to enhance the quality of UN engagement around adolescent and youth issues in the country.”
The discussion was followed by a cultural show where noted Rabindra Sangeet artist Shama Rahman enthralled the audience with her songs.
Source: UNB Connect
