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(Press Release) Commonwealth Secretary General, the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, and Chair of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, Rana Masood Ahmed Khan, announced three new initiatives to broaden and deepen youth participation in development and decision-making.
The three initiatives will contribute to the fulfilment of the mandate of the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Ministers’ Meeting and the Commonwealth Youth Ministers’ Working Group, which Pakistan currently chairs.
The first initiative is the Commonwealth Asian Youth Alliance, whose secretariat will be based in Pakistan. The alliance will bring together national youth councils from eight Commonwealth Asian countries and provide them with a platform for international dialogue, leadership opportunities and training courses.
The second initiative, the Commonwealth Young Parliamentarians Forum, will provide opportunities for all young Commonwealth legislators to hone their leadership skills, exchange good practices with their peers and amplify their voices on pressing issues.
The third initiative is to establish a Youth AI Center to provide young people with self-paced Intel-certified training courses so that they can gain employment skills in emerging technologies.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who is making his first official visit to Pakistan, said:
“With more than 60 per cent of the Commonwealth’s population under the age of 30, our future undoubtedly lies in the hands of our young people.
“In Pakistan and across the Commonwealth, our young people are innovative and imaginative.
“Yet they often lack opportunities to contribute meaningfully to the social, economic and political development of their countries.
“We are delighted that Pakistan’s Chair of the Commonwealth Ministerial Working Group on Youth is driving new initiatives aimed at inspiring positive change and driving transformative progress for young people in Pakistan and across the Commonwealth.”
During his first visit, the Secretary-General met with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Cabinet Ministers, the Speaker of Parliament, the Attorney General, youth leaders, the Commonwealth High Commissioner and other key stakeholders.
At her event, she reaffirmed the Commonwealth’s solidarity with Pakistan on the second anniversary of the devastating 2022 floods.
Discussions covered Pakistan’s work on the SDGs and how to strengthen Commonwealth relations and expand ongoing cooperation, particularly in empowering youth, addressing climate change, promoting good governance, upholding the rule of law and harnessing artificial intelligence.
While in Islamabad, the Secretary-General also launched the “Peace in Wrinkles” initiative in partnership with the Zalmi Foundation.
The initiative harnesses the unique power of sport to bring together young people from diverse backgrounds to promote Commonwealth values such as peace, tolerance and equality.
In addition, the Secretary-General delivered keynote speeches on the role of young people in climate change and social innovation at the National University of Science and Technology of Pakistan and the Parliamentary Services Academy of Pakistan.
Secretary General Patricia Scottland said before leaving office:
“As a founding member of the Commonwealth, Pakistan plays a unique and special role in our family.
“Pakistan’s commitment to achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement is evident, especially as the aftereffects of the 2022 floods are still visible and fresh in everyone’s memory. We need to act now.
“Pakistan’s vulnerable position highlights why it is justified for the Commonwealth to be determined to secure climate justice for those so severely affected, and why we need a Generic Vulnerability Index”
The Secretary-General visited Pakistan from 28 July 2024 to 2 August 2024.
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