The Youth Consultation Workshop on AMR Country Statement in Bangladesh was successfully held on 9 May 2026 at TSC Community Hall-2, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, marking an important step toward structured youth participation in antimicrobial resistance governance.

The workshop was jointly organized by IVSA PSTU Bangladesh and IVSA KAU Bangladesh, in technical collaboration with One Health Youth Alliance Bangladesh (OHYAB). The event was funded and supported by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) under the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) Project. Special acknowledgment was extended to Bangladesh Radiantself Community (BRC) for its cooperation and support.

The consultation brought together 93 youth participants from 11 universities and medical colleges, 4 student organizations, and 2 farmer representatives, representing diverse disciplines including veterinary medicine, human health, public health, environmental science, fisheries, agriculture, nutrition and food science, and microbiology. The workshop served as a multidisciplinary One Health platform, allowing young people to contribute directly to Bangladesh’s AMR policy dialogue.

The program was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Md. Belal Hossain, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University. In his remarks, he described AMR as an emerging “silent disaster” for Bangladesh and emphasized the need for environmental sustainability within the One Health framework.

Technical sessions were delivered by experts from animal health, human health, and environmental health sectors. Speakers included Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam, Upazila Livestock Officer and Focal Point, MPTF Project, DLS; Dr. Samsad Rabbani Khan, Field Epidemiologist and former Deputy Program Manager of the AMR Containment component under DGHS; and Dr. Md. Jashim Uddin, Professor, Department of Soil, Water and Environment, University of Dhaka. Additional expert contributions were provided by Dr. Ibrahim Khalil, Senior Scientific Officer, FDIL Barishal, DLS, and Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman, AMR MPTF Consultant for Bangladesh, WOAH.

A key feature of the workshop was its structured youth deliberation process. Participants worked in multidisciplinary groups under six thematic areas: Human Health, Animal Health and Livestock, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Environment and Wildlife, Policy, Youth and Global Partnerships, and Private Sector and Public-Private Partnerships for AMR Action. The discussions focused not only on awareness but also on governance gaps, regulatory enforcement, surveillance systems, and institutional accountability.

The youth participants identified several priority recommendations, including strict enforcement of prescription-only antibiotic sales, banning antibiotic growth promoters in livestock and aquaculture, strengthening inter-agency coordination among DGDA, DGHS, DLS and related authorities, recognizing veterinary services as an emergency service, establishing stronger AMR surveillance systems, and ensuring meaningful youth inclusion in national AMR governance.

The workshop also included field-level perspectives from two poultry farmers associated with the Model Poultry Village initiative. They shared practical experiences on antibiotic-minimal and antibiotic-free poultry farming through improved biosecurity and farm management practices, adding important grassroots insight to the consultation.

At the closing session, the finalized Youth AMR Country Statement was formally adopted and handed over to Dr. Md. Bayzer Rahman, Director Administration, DLS, WOAH Delegate, and Chief Veterinary Officer of Bangladesh. The statement was presented by Dr. Md. Amin Al Maruf, Vice President of OHYAB, and Md. Simoon Hasan, Event Management Coordinator of OHYAB and President of IVSA PSTU Bangladesh.

As the conceptual lead of the program and facilitator of the technical session, Dr. Abu Sayed, President of OHYAB, underscored the importance of transforming youth engagement in AMR from awareness-based participation into structured policy deliberation. He emphasized that AMR is not a future threat but a present emergency affecting hospitals, farms, food systems, and water bodies. According to him, the workshop demonstrated that young people can contribute not only as advocates, but also as informed stakeholders capable of identifying governance gaps and proposing practical, multisectoral solutions. He further highlighted the need to institutionally embed youth voices within national AMR governance and the One Health framework.

Dr. Md. Amin Al Maruf, Vice President of OHYAB, stated that the workshop demonstrated the true spirit of One Health, where veterinary students, public health professionals, fisheries researchers, environmental scientists, and farmers worked together to draft a national document.

The initiative demonstrates that structured youth consultation can generate policy-relevant, systems-oriented recommendations for AMR governance. It also shows that youth engagement is feasible, necessary, and valuable in strengthening Bangladesh’s national response to antimicrobial resistance.

Finally, we gratefully acknowledge Dr. Md. Habibur Rahman, Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam, and Dr. Ibrahim Khalil for their invaluable contributions to program organization, funding coordination, institutional support, and overall facilitation. We also extend our sincere appreciation to the OHYAB facilitation team, including Abu Sayeed, Nazmul Islam, Rita Khalko, Md. Simoon Hasan, and S M Mahmudul Hasan, for their active presence, coordination, communication support, logistics, and dedicated assistance throughout the workshop. Their collective efforts were instrumental in ensuring the smooth and successful implementation of the program.

Press by: Abu Sayed, Md. Simoon Hasan

Contact for the Press: mail@ohyab.org