Development of the National Adolescent Strategy (NAS) in Bangladesh.

Purpose of the assignment:

Support the Government of Bangladesh in developing a National Adolescent Strategy to strengthen social and civic engagement of adolescents and ensure the expansion of key social services. The NAS will consider adolescent-sensitive responses for emergency situations, disability, ethnicity, gender, reproductive health, nutrition HIV-AIDS and tools for enhancing the data on adolescents and strengthening national monitoring mechanism for the implementation of NAS.

Scope of National Adolescent Strategy: Scope of the assignment:

The National Adolescent Strategy (NAS) seeks to assess the current situation of adolescents in Bangladesh and design the strategy for the overall well-being of all the adolescents in Bangladesh. It will also provide framework, thematic areas and cross cutting issues, create new formal and non-formal learning opportunities, reproductive health including prevention from HIV-AIDS, safety and protection of adolescents, with special emphasis on girls and boys who are working in hazardous jobs including factories and homes, in emergency,  and horizons to empower adolescents to strengthen social and civic engagement of adolescents so that their voices can be heard and can play vital role as social agents of change.

The NAS will explore strategic directions to improve awareness among adolescents on all relevant issues that affects their overall well-being and advocate to address them systematically and create an enabling environment at all levels especially the roles of civil society and private sector support to adolescent well-being.

The specific objectives of NAS are as follows:

1. Improve commitment and response to holistic approach of the national adolescent protection and development system including the guiding principles, legal framework, resources and services available.
2. Provide framework on thematic areas and cross cutting issues to empower adolescents, particularly vulnerable group of girls and to strengthen social and civic engagement of adolescents so that their voices be heard and can play vital role as social agents of change;
3. Provide scope for review of school curriculum to prevent drop out from secondary school, create new formal and non-formal learning opportunities and horizons, provide life skills training, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) including reproductive health including prevention from HIV-AIDS;
4. Ensure rollout of safety and protection of adolescents, with special emphasis on girls and boys who are working in hazardous jobs including factories and homes, in emergency, for peace building, and with a special focus on disability, ethnicity aspects and gender;
5. Explore strategic directions to improve awareness among adolescents on all relevant issues that affects their overall well-being and advocate to address them systematically.
6. Create an enabling environment at all levels especially the roles of civil society and private sector support to adolescent well-being;
7. Tools for strengthening national monitoring mechanism for the implementation of NAS.