Youth Mock Parliament demanding ‘Right to Food law’

Gazi Anica Aslam : October 16 is World Food Day.  Food is a fundamental human right.  Ensuring food for all is the responsibility of state, yet about 40 million people of Bangladesh are food and nutrition unsecured.  Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in food production but adequate consumption of food is yet not ensured for many reasons.  One fourth of our people are facing low food and nutrition intake, among them women, children and elderly people are most.

Everybody should be able to obtain enough food to satisfy hunger either by producing or buying it.  Bangladesh reached the lower-middle-income country status.  However, there is no specific legislative framework in Bangladesh towards achieving the most basic right to food in the context of national food security.

The visionary members of Youth Against Hunger, Dan Church Aid and Hunger Free World, along with 50 other voluntary organization together organizing a daylong Youth Mock Parliament to discuss the necessity of enacting a `Right to Food Law’ in Bangladesh, immediately.  Following the constituencies of the Bangladesh National Parliament, 300 youth age under 25 participating in the 7^th session of the event, going to be held on 16^th October at 10:30 am at the Senate Bhawan of Dhaka University.

Eminent economist and former governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr. Atiur Rahman will grace the occasion as special guest.  Among others, DG NGO Affairs Bureau KM Abdus Salam, Former DG of BTV M. Hamid, Former DG of Health Services Prof. Dr. Shah Monir Hossain, Editor of Daily Samakal Mustafiz Shafi and Secretary of Right to Food Bangladesh Mohsin Ali will deliver speeches at the event.  The event will be presided over by the former Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture Anwar Faruque.  Besides the guests more than 20 youth members

The organizers believe “do let hunger end our youth let our youth end hunger”.  The Youth Mock Parliament aims to engage youth in realizing Right to Food and facilitate them to raise their voice for themselves and for their next generation.  The proceedings of the youth parliament later would be published and shared with policy makers of the country.

• Youth Coordinator

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