Oct02

Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) organized a day-long national roundtable on “Youth in Preventing Radicalization and Violent Extremism: Experiences from North Bengal” on October 02, 2019 at Hotel Lake Castle, Gulshan-2, Dhaka. The roundtable had three different sessions discussing three different themes: “Empowerment of the Youth”, “Mobilization of the Stakeholders for Social Resilience” and “Sustainability of the Project Outcome”. An overview presentation of the 30 months long project funded by “Global Affairs Canada” was given by Ambassador (Retd) M. Humayun Kabir, Acting President of BEI in Ist session. 10 students (04 females and 06 males), 06 change agent teachers and 06 coordinators from different colleges, madrasahs of different upazilas of the project  participated and shared their extensive experiences during series of activities of the project in three sessions of the roundtable. Honorable foreign minister H.E. Dr. A K Abdul Momen was delighted the roundtable as chief guest. Within other invitees High Commissioner of Canada H.E. Benoit Préfontaine, High Commissioner of England H.E. Robert Chatterton Dickson, Ambassador of Norway H.E. Ms. Sidsel Bleken, H.E. Ms. Rensje Teerink, Head of Delegation, European Union to Bangladesh, Ms. Shoko Ishikawa, UN Women Representative and Country Director, Bangladesh, Dr. Benazir Ahmed, Director General of RAB Forces, Mr. Rob Stoelman, project manager of UNDP Bangladesh, several representatives from diplomatic missions in Bangladesh, security experts, academicians, Violent Extremism practitioners, representatives from donor agencies, students, journalists had delighted the day long roundtable by their presence. Open floor discussion of each event uncovered and brought some reality, challenges and prospects for upcoming study on radicalization and violent extremism and new phases of activities in future as well. Among the officials of Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), Ambassador (Retd) Farooq Sobhan, Distinguished Fellow and Member, Board Governors, BEI, Ambassador (Retd) M. Humayun Kabir, Acting President of BEI, Mr. Mohammad Humayun Kabir, Director General of BEI, Ambassador (Retd) Suhrab Hossain, Advisor, BEI, Mr. Faiz Sobhan, Senior Research Director of BEI were also present.