ISLAMABAD: In an interactive session on Youth, Pakistan & Challenges of 21st Century, distinguished guest panelist Dr. Arfa Sayeda Zehra, a prominent educationist, shared her aspirations and expectations for the members of the 17th Youth Parliament Pakistan. She stated that a larger percentage of Pakistan’s population is considered part of the youth but this group finds itself lost; it doesn’t understand where to go. The Youth needs opportunities to engage, to thrive. She further stressed on the importance of establishing unity rather than indulge in factions.
Joining her was Dr. Adil Najam, Dean at Boston University & writer of UNDP’s Human Development Report on Pakistani Youth. He presented a statistical view on the topic, highlighting how the youth should harness its power, as they will be the deciding factor in all future elections until 2045. He further correlated youth with human development.
An interactive question & answer session was then conducted with the Members of Youth Parliament, shedding light on how youth’s contribution will shape the future and the implications youth and its development will have on Pakistan’s relations and its overall standing in the world. Earlier, the 19 Youth Standing Committees held their virtual meetings to decide upon their areas of focus. While the first plenary session has ended, all committees will continue their work on preparing their reports until the next session is convened.
The Youth Parliament of Pakistan is a project of PILDAT and has been running for the past 17 years. The 17th YPP is supported by the Jang/Geo Group, Bank of Punjab, Interloop Limited, Islamabad Serena Hotel, FES Pakistan, University of Lahore and Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi.
Youth Parliament holds interactive session with eductionist
