Chittagong: The Gender and Adolescence Global Evidence (GAGE) programme, The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the University of Chittagong are collaborating this week to promote evidence-based policies and programmes aimed at improving the wellbeing of adolescents and young people in Bangladesh. The event series includes an International Academic Conference in Chittagong, community feedback sessions with Rohingya adolescents in Cox’s Bazar, and United Nations briefings on strengthening adolescent-focused policy and practice.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the GAGE research programme is supported by the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and carried out by a global consortium. Bangladesh has approximately 36 million adolescents aged 10-19, making up nearly a quarter of the nation’s population. Adolescence is a crucial life stage where targeted investments can yield long-term benefits, particularly as these individuals transition into adulthood.
Despite notable social and educational advancements, challenges persist, such as school dropout rates, high child marriage rates, and stigma surrounding sexual and reproductive health. Additionally, Bangladesh is home to around 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, many of whom are young people facing challenges in transitioning to adulthood due to prolonged displacement.
A recent international conference on Adolescent and Young People’s Wellbeing in Bangladesh, co-hosted by the Department of Anthropology at the University of Chittagong, the GAGE programme, and UNFPA, gathered over 300 national and international scholars, students, and development practitioners. The conference, held on May 11-12, presented new empirical research, built research capacity, and fostered dialogue on adolescent wellbeing.
The conference addressed interconnected domains such as education, employment, health, sexual and reproductive health, psychosocial wellbeing, and bodily autonomy, along with cross-cutting themes such as climate resilience, digital access, and humanitarian crises. Panels emphasized the need to place young people at the center of national development priorities and humanitarian efforts.
Professor Dr. Mohammad Al-Forkan, Vice Chancellor of the University of Chittagong, highlighted the importance of leveraging insights from researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to ensure opportunities for every adolescent in Bangladesh. Tahera Jabeen, Social Development Adviser at the British High Commission in Dhaka, stressed the necessity of strong evidence to inform effective policy and practice, reiterating the UK’s commitment to supporting adolescent-centric efforts in Bangladesh and globally.
Masaki Watabe, Officer-in-Charge, UNFPA Bangladesh, emphasized the importance of turning evidence into action and ensuring that adolescent voices shape policy and programming. He advocated for initiatives to be created with, not just for, young people, highlighting their understanding of their own lives and barriers.
As part of the conference, GAGE organized capacity-building workshops for early-career researchers on longitudinal quantitative data analysis and participatory qualitative research methods. This initiative aims to enhance national research capacity and promote context-sensitive approaches to understanding adolescent experiences.
On May 13, 2026, partners conducted community feedback meetings with adolescent Rohingya girls and boys in Cox’s Bazar to share findings from mixed-methods research in refugee camps. These sessions aimed to strengthen community reciprocity and ensure adolescents could engage with the evidence generated through their participation.
The week concludes with a UNFPA-hosted briefing in Dhaka on May 14 titled ‘Growing up in Bangladesh: Longitudinal Evidence on Adolescent Wellbeing and Transitions 2016-2026.’ The briefing will present mixed-methods longitudinal evidence across education, economic empowerment, health, mental health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, bodily autonomy, and freedom from age- and gender-based violence, as stated in a UNFPA release.