UNHCR holds first Youth Empowerment Seminar

  • September 21, 2016, 9:04 pm
  • National News
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UNHCR holds first Youth Empowerment Seminar
QUETTA Sep 21 (PPI): UNHCR with its partners organized a one day seminar on youth empowerment in Balochistan, aiming to enhance the capacity of Pakistani and Afghan youths in Balochistan by engaging them in dialogues with the key stakeholders to identify challenges youths are facing and to seek solutions towards self-reliance and ushering them to become responsible members of the society.

Over 100 participants from different districts of Balochistan attended the seminar, over 30 of them females.

The seminar was held in collaborations with the Government of Balochistan, UNWOMEN, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Innovative Development Organization (IDO), Water Environment and Sanitation Society (WESS), UNESCO and Pakistan Red Crescent (PRC).

The Chief Guest of the Seminar Speaker of Balochistan Assembly Ms. Raheela Durrani in her thought-provoking keynote address expressed “education and youth empowerment serve as the perfect impetus to energize the youth. We need to excite young minds, let’s make our youths empowered with education and skills.”

Recognizing the important roles of youth in national building, she emphasised “youths need a voice and a platform to share their opinions and experiences, while enhancing their capabilities and competences in their chosen fields.”

During the seminar different sessions were chaired by the moderators to discuss the importance of the empowerment of youth as a tool to promote change, engage young leaders in a dialogue with key stakeholders, and promote partnership and create a joint team in Balochistan for the empowerment of youth.

A brief presentation was given by the UNHCR office explaining the participants its youth related activities in Balochistan. Under UNHCR programmes Youth groups in the Refugee Villages (RVs) have been fully engaged in multi-sectoral community committees to strengthen the coordination mechanism and to build capacities that will further lead to active participation in decision making.

While addressing to the seminar UNHCR Head of Sub-Office Quetta Dinesh Shrestha said, “Youths could play an important role in bringing peace and sustainable development in the region. This will be possible only if they are given opportunities and right environment, enabled with required skills and knowledge, guided with values to serve above self and allowed to work together beyond the narrow confines of national borders. This Seminar is a small contribution towards achieving those goals where both Pakistani and Afghan youths can come together to discuss their common interests and opinions, and prepare to become the agents of change in the society.”

“UNHCR initiated number of activities to support youths in the areas of education, health, social protection and livelihood under its regular as well as Refugee Affected and Hosting Area (RAHA) programmes and awarded UNHCR DAFI (Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Program) scholarship since 1992 which allowed more than 2,200 students to attend universities in Pakistan and became doctors, engineers and scientist – a role model for success in refugee education, he further added.

A presentation was given by the Government of Balochistan youth affair department explaining Youth as being its most potential and valuable assets, and highlighted the establishment of Youth Development Centre at Quetta with an estimated cost of Rs.24.6 million. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Youth Affairs. The Center will go a long way in promoting, guiding and training the youth of Balochistan as the Centre has provision of basic infrastructure like debating hall, indoor games, boarding and lodging facilities etc.

During the seminar the discussion with the government departments, UN agencies, NGO’s and youth group took place which discussed the opportunities and challenges youths are facing and finally concluded with recommendations which will be shared with all stakeholders to translate them in to actions. The closing ceremony was graced by dignitaries, social activists, INGO’s, NGOS, and youth working groups.

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