President calls for global cooperation to tackle challenges

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday Pakistan serves as a gateway to the landlocked Central Asian countries, which are welcome to benefit from Gwadar Port to promote shared development and prosperity.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to regional connectivity and economic collaboration, President Zardari invited international partners to work together toward a secure and sustainable future.

He made these remarks while addressing the participants of the 5th International Workshop for Leadership and Stability, organised by the National Defence University (NDU), at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

The workshop includes 64 foreign participants from friendly countries and 32 Pakistani participants from various sectors, including business, diplomacy, government, think tanks, media, and young professionals.

The NDU has been organising this workshop for parliamentarians, senior policymakers, diplomats, consultants and senior executives from around the world.

Addressing the participants, President Zardari emphasised the need for global cooperation and partnerships to tackle pressing challenges such as climate change, poverty and disinformation.

He underscored the importance of collaboration among nations to ensure inclusive and sustainable development. “The world faces a range of economic, environmental, security, and technological challenges that require collective action,” he said. “A stable world is essential for shared progress.”

Highlighting the role of leadership, the president stressed that leaders must create opportunities for collaboration and work for the betterment of people, shared peace and prosperity.

He said that leadership involves uniting people around a shared vision and motivating stakeholders to achieve sustainable development goals. Encouraging the participants, he urged them to choose dialogue over division, cooperation over conflict and hope over fear to drive lasting change. He also called on them to apply their insights from the workshop to real-world solutions.

President Zardari congratulated the participants on completing the course and commended NDU for organising the workshop, stating that such initiatives play a vital role in shaping perspectives on leadership, governance and stability.

Earlier, the president was briefed on the aims and objectives of the workshop. It was noted that the program provides a platform to share Pakistan’s perspective on global issues and foster international dialogue.