Speaker of Bangladesh National Parliament Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, on Sunday said Members of Parliament (MPs) have a vital role to play in establishing a sustainable, discrimination-free and human resource-based society.

He said the country’s development could be further accelerated by bringing issues related to demographic transition, demographic dividend and sustainable development into parliamentary discussions and formulating effective laws and policies.

The speaker made the remarks while addressing an orientation workshop titled “The Role of Parliament in Achieving Demographic Dividend, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Implementing the ICPD Commitments” as the chief guest at the oath room of National Parliament.

The workshop was organized under the Strengthening Parliament’s Capacity in Population and Development Issues (SPCPD) project.

Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal chaired the event. National Parliament Secretariat Secretary Barrister Md Golam Sorwar Bhuiyan delivered the welcome address, while Chief Whip Md Nurul Islam Moni, MP, spoke as the special guest, said a press release.

The speaker said Bangladesh is now at a historic juncture and that the government’s various initiatives would play an important role in implementing this year’s World Population Day theme: “Empowering Young People to Create the Families They Want in a Fair and Hopeful World.”

He stressed the need to transform the country’s large youth population into skilled human resources so that the demographic dividend could be effectively utilised to accelerate socio-economic development.

Hafiz Uddin Ahmad said the formation of the Bangladesh Parliamentarians’ Forum on Population and Development (BAPPD), with the strategic support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), would further strengthen lawmakers’ role in legislating and formulating policies on population and development issues.

He said incorporating issues such as preventing child marriage, strengthening enforcement of related laws, ensuring adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, and achieving the demographic dividend into the activities of parliamentary committees would help attain the desired goals more effectively.

The speaker expressed hope that the SPCPD project would make a meaningful contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the areas of health, gender equality, youth development and climate change.

Members of Parliament, the UNFPA Bangladesh country representative, the project director and senior officials of the National Parliament Secretariat were present at the program.