Youths are the architects of Smart Bangladesh: Palak
Young changemakers call for a safer, more tolerant online space in Bangladesh
State Minister of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, has said today's youths are the architects of Smart Bangladesh by 2041 as a vision of the government.
"The current government is always keen to invest in youth and took initiatives, like start-ups, to bring out different innovative ideas from them using digital tools," he said while addressing the National Gala Round of the Digital Khichuri Challenge (DKC) at the BCC Auditorium of the ICT Division on Sunday.
"Our partnership with UNDP in promoting a tolerant and Inclusive Bangladesh among our youth, will continue in the future," said Palak.
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United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in association with the ICT Division, organised the event with a promise of youth to make the digital space safer, and work towards a more tolerant Bangladesh, said a press release.
UNDP Bangladesh Resident Representative Stefan Liller said, "UNDP has been organising Digital Khichuri Challenges for the past seven years, as one of our flagship activities in support of achieving SDG 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions."
"This year, we organised the event with the theme "Pathway to Peaceful Societies: Catalysing Youth as Responsible Citizens" to promote responsible/global citizenship so that youth are aware of their rights and responsibilities and can actively participate and contribute to their communities and the progress of their country in a constructive way," Stefan added.
Silje Fines Wannebo, deputy head of Mission, The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka, said, "Democracy without human rights is not the democracy we want. DKC is a platform to support human rights and promote cultural harmony among all."
Supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka, the Digital Khichuri Challenge is an initiative of the "Partnerships for a Tolerant, Inclusive Bangladesh" (PTIB) project of UNDP since 2016.
Ranajit Kumar, additional secretary and executive director (Grade 1) of Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), Md Shamsul Arefin, secretary at ICT Division, and Robert Stoelman, project manager of the UNDP, were also present.
In 2022, DKC was held in five districts where ten teams as winners initiated two-month-long social media campaigns to promote cultural diversity, tolerance, and awareness against hate speech and misinformation.
