Youth Leadership in Diplomacy for Bangladesh: Toward A Sustainable Global Future

The twenty-first-century geopolitical environment is also more marked by the activism of the youth in the Global South as the formulation of national and international policies becomes a matter of centre-stage actors and not peripheral ones. This revolution has reached a historical peak in Bangladesh after the July Revolution of 2024, which was an epochal "Monsoon Revolution" by students that essentially ousted an authoritarian regime that had become entrenched in Bangladesh over many years and revitalised the legacy of resistance. In this research paper, the posture of youth leadership in diplomacy in Bangladesh is discussed based on the fact that the institutionalisation of the youth demographic serving 33% of the population is a critical concern in attaining a sustainable global future. The mixed-method approach which combines quantitative data collected through surveys on 2,545 individuals and takes the form of qualitative thematic analysis of new policy changes offers an insight into the process of replacing informal activism with formal diplomatic representation. The results indicate that there is a big reluctance gap with 95% of the youth feeling that traditional politics is risky; and 94% willing to take the lead in climate and social action, were they offered institutional backing. The report evaluates the current frameworks, including the UN Youth Delegate Program, the UNESCO Youth Voice Mechanism, and the BIMSTEC Young Leaders Summit, as a means of finding ways of integrating further. The discussion provides a conclusion that Bangladesh can reinvent itself as a regional beacon of justice and democratic developments by utilising the three Zeros framework proposed by Dr. Muhammad Yunus as follows: zero poverty, zero unemployment and zero net carbon. This paper gives policy suggestions to the policy makers on how to go beyond mere symbolic inclusion into meaningful youth-led diplomacy.

Youth Leadership, Global Diplomacy, BIMSTEC, Generation Z

1. Parvin, P., & Hasan, M. M. (2025). Information Seeking Behavior of Generation Z: A comparative study between physical and virtual spaces. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 7(6). https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i06.64735 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Chowdury, S. R. H. (2024). The Role of Political Parties in Bangladesh’s July Revolution of 2024: Insights from Sufi Perspectives. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, VIII(XI), 2077–2093. https://doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2024.8110166 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Al-Mamun, A. (2025). Bangladesh’s July Revolution: A Youth-Driven Paradigm shift in Nation-Building. https://doi.org/10.71174/anr15 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Lewis, D. (2011). Bangladesh. In Cambridge University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139017138 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Carroll, B., & Firth, J. (2020). Leading or led? A critical exploration of youth leadership development. Management Learning, 52(1), 6–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507620917849 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Author, G. (2023). CLIMATE DIPLOMACY OF BANGLADESH: LESSONS LEARNED FROM COP27 AND WAY FORWARD. BIISS Journal, 44(4). https://doi.org/10.56888/biiss-journal.v44i4.a900 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. ActionAid Bangladesh. (2025). Youth’s 26 demands in climate charter ahead of COP-30. https://actionaidbd.org/post/default/youths-26-demands-climate-charter-ahead-cop-30 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Bangladesh leadership in BIMSTEC: Strategic pathways to Indo-Pacific diplomacy. (2025).https://www.researchgate.net/publication/397315335_Bangladesh's_Leadership_in_BIMSTEC_Strategic_Pathways_to_Indo-_Pacific_Diplomacy [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Bangladesh’s leadership in BIMSTEC: Strategic pathways to Indo-Pacific diplomacy. (2025). MSI Publishers. https://msipublishers.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/MSIJMR2402025-GS.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Better Care Network. (2023). Global youth development index update report 2023. https://bettercarenetwork.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/commonwealth-global-youth-development-index-update-report-2023_d19495_0.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. BIMSTEC Secretariat. (2025). BIMSTEC e-newsletter (February 2025 issue). https://bimstec.org/images/enewsletter_pdf_file/1741586708_e-Newsletter%20February %202025% 20Issue_.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Club of Rome. (2024). Backing young leaders: Are we adequately supporting young leaders during this volatile political time? https://www.clubofrome.org/blog-post/mvunelo-supporting-young-leaders/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Cultural diplomacy in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. (2025). ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390250519_Cultural_Diplomacy_in_the_People's_Republic_of_Bangladesh [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. (2023). The Arab strategy for youth, peace and security. United Nations. https://dppa.un.org/sites/default/files/en_report_final_for_web.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Frontiers in Political Science. (2025). Youth at the crossroads: Balancing contributions to conflict and peace amid high unemployment in Africa. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/political-science/articles/10.3389/fpos.2025.1599788/full [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. GAGE. (2024). Young people in the Global South: Voice, agency and citizenship. https://gage.odi.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Young-People-in-the-Global-South-Introduction.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Government of the United Kingdom. (2023). UK–Bangladesh development partnership summary (July 2023). GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-bangladesh-development-partnership-summary/uk-bangladesh-development-partnership-summary-july-2023 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. HSRC. (2025). Youth participation in climate diplomacy: Barriers, regional disparities, and policy impact. https://hsrc.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Youth-Participation-in-Climate-Diplomacy.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. ICCCAD. (2025). Event report: Youth voices for climate resilience 2025. https://icccad.net/publications/event-report/event-report-youth-voices-for-climate-resilience-2025-youth-led-policy-dialogue/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. LGED. (2012). Perspective plan of Bangladesh: Vision 2021–2041. http://oldweb.lged.gov.bd/uploadeddocument/unitpublication/1/1049/vision%202021-2041.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. MDPI. (2025). Special issue: Youth, resistance and social movements in polarized times. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/youth/special_issues/HNW883Z59O [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Plan International USA. (2025). Youth leadership academy. https://www.planusa.org/youth-agency/youth-leadership-academy/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. PMC. (2023). Between rhetoric and reality: Learnings from youth participation in the adolescent and youth health policy in South Africa. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10105194/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. The political perception of youth in Bangladesh. https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/327206381_THE_POLITICAL_PERCEPTION_OF_YOUTH_IN_BANGLADESH [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Youth belief and knowledge in political participation: The case of Bangladesh. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/393334403_Youth_Belief_and_Knowledge_in_Political_Participation_The_Case_of_Bangladesh [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Draft English version of National Youth Policy 2017. https://www.scribd.com/ document/964980612/Draft-English-Version-of-National-Youth-Policy-2017-1 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. The development of normative theory in international relations. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/788b/5e40b853754e6f90fa7e89989a5286ec9b18.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. SparkBlue. (2017). Youth, peace & security in Asia and the Pacific: A regional consultation report. https://www.sparkblue.org/system/files/2024-08/2017.08.07%20-%20Report%20-%20Asia%20 and %20the%20Pacific%20Regional%20Consultation%20on%20Youth%2C%20Peace%20%26%20Security.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. The impact of climate change on Bangladesh’s foreign policy. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/5334510.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. UNFPA. (n.d.). Module 6: Youth, peace and security. https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/UNFPA-MBMLMW-MOD6_EN.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. UNICEF. (2025). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics: MICS preliminary findings 2025. https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/en/media/12191/file/MICS%20Preliminary%20findings%202025.pdf.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. UNICEF ROSA. (2023). 12 youth delegates from South Asia to attend COP 28 to voice children's needs. https://www.unicef.org/rosa/press-releases/12-youth-delegates-south-asia-attend-cop-28-voice-childrens-needs-region-unicef [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. UNICEF ROSA. (2024). South Asian youth delegates at COP 29 urge urgent climate action. https://www.unicef.org/rosa/press-releases/south-asian-youth-delegates-cop-29-urge-urgent-climate-action-protect-their-future [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. United Nations. (2012). Youth, political participation and decision-making (Fact sheet). https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/youth/fact-sheets/youth-political-participation.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Youth for Policy. (n.d.). Youth for Policy. https://www.youthforpolicy.org/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Shamsuzzaman, M. (n.d.). July revolution and Prof Yunus: A winning combination. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/july-revolution-and-prof-yunus-winning-combination-3781376 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. The Daily Star. (n.d.). ‘Three Zeros’ of Yunus a major catalyst for SDGs. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/news/three-zeros-yunus-major-catalyst-sdgs-3723121 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Hasan, M. M. (2026b). Challenges and Opportunities in Higher Education in Bangladesh: A focus on quality, access, and employability. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 09(03). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v9-i3-72 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Understanding Academic Leadership: Theory, Practice and Future Horizons
• A Literature Review on Leadership and Cultural Evolution of Adventism in East Africa Region
• Unlocking Employee Creativity Through Empowering Leadership: The Dynamic Interplay of Trust and Engagement
• The Integration of Preachers’ Leadership Competencies in Empowering Preachers for the Orang Asli Community in Malaysia
• Traditional Authority vs. Legacy Leadership: A Comparative Literature Review from the Arab World