Speakers at a workshop in Dhaka today urged the government to establish a dedicated funding mechanism to support youth skills development, employment and peacebuilding through partnerships with women-led organisations. The workshop, titled “The role of women-led organisations in youth skills development and peacebuilding”, was organised jointly by Young Women for Development Rights & Climate (YWDRC) and Nari Unnayan Shakti (NUS), with support from Global Workforce Services and the Forum for Culture and Human Development. Presiding over the event, NUS Executive Director Dr Afroja Parvin said women-led grassroots organisations were well positioned to engage young people and contribute to skills development, employment generation, social cohesion and sustainable peacebuilding. She called for a national programme, in partnership with women-led organisations, focusing on market-oriented skills, digital literacy, information technology, freelancing, entrepreneurship, green jobs, peace education and the prevention of youth gangs, drug abuse and online extremism. They called for stronger government-NGO partnerships and greater investment in youth employment, entrepreneurship and peacebuilding, saying investing in young people was essential for the country's sustainable development and social cohesion.