The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF) have partnered and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for FutureNation program on 01 June 2022, to create economic opportunities for all, organized at the UNDP Bangladesh, Agargaon, IDB Bhaban, Dhaka.

Sudipto Mukerjee, Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh and Dr. Senjuti Saha, Director, CHRF, inked the partnership on behalf of their respective organizations.

Sudipto Mukerjee said, ‘I am very happy to sign the partnership MoU with CHRF today to coming together with a common goal – to facing the post-pandemic frontier challenges, especially generating economic opportunities for the youth who need it the most.

Dr. Senjuti Saha said, ‘As healthcare workers, we realize that working in the hospitals and labs alone is not enough to achieve good health and wellbeing. We need to step out of our buildings, impart our knowledge, paving the way and invest in training our youth. Hence, this collaboration with FutureNation covering various streams in healthcare holds so much importance to us, and we cannot wait to begin.’

Professor Samir Kumar Saha, CHRF’s Executive Director, joined the partnership signing ceremony online and said, ‘with this endeavour, I hope the next generation will acquire skills and implement them to not only advance their careers but also guide their country’s progress. I am confident that our youth will be the ones to drive change and build a better Bangladesh. And I am very happy that CHRF can be a part of this journey.’

FutureNation, an alliance of the private, public and development sectors, is created to accelerate the Nation's future economic growth by enhancing the skills and potential of youth by identifying opportunities for development, employment, entrepreneurship, and investment in the post-pandemic situation.

With an ambition of creating a million economic opportunities, "FutureNation" will help endow the youth with employable skills, and it will do so through innovation and partnerships between the various development actors from the public, private and international development sectors and is fully aligned with the 8th Five Year Plan.

Senior officials from UNDP and CHRF were present at the signing ceremony.