Youth to be engaged in decision-making: minister

KARACHI: Sindh Youth Affairs Minister Abid Hussain Bhayo has said that student unions will be revived and remodeled to promote pro-peace, women-friendly and student-centered activities on campuses.

Five per cent seats will be reserved for young people in local bodies, he said while addressing a youth policy launching ceremony on Friday. The policy was launched in the presence of hundreds of youth participants, government officials, international donors and members of the civil society.

Technical support for the policy was given by BARGAD and United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), while Oxfam in Pakistan, Right Here Right Now (RHRN), Civil Society Support Programme, and a number of other civil society and youth organsiations and government bodies offered assistance.

Speaking at the event, Bhayo said that the Sindh government is aware of the number of young people in the province, adding that under the policy, a Youth Development Commission and Youth Venture Capital Fund will be established. He also mentioned that the youth will be engaged in decision-making at the municipal and provincial levels while community service and volunteerism would be promoted. “The Sindh government will introduce youth-led campaigns for inter-faith harmony,” he added.

Youth Affairs Department Secretary Dr Niaz Ali Abbasi announced that employment schemes will be set up, which will provide job opportunities to young people without formal education. He shared that the Sindh Youth Policy is the result of a province-wide consultative process involving multiple stakeholders, most importantly the youth.

“Efforts will be made to encourage youth entrepreneurship through trainings at incubation centres, market linkages and partnership with educational institutions,” he added.

BARGAD Executive Director Sabiha Shaheen said the policy was devised in light of suggestions and needs of the youth of the province, including a clear roadmap, time-bound strategies, quantifiable targets and potential partners.

Oxfam International Pakistan Director Mohammed Qazilbash said harnessing the energy and strength of young women and men to become active citizens is core to Oxfam's goal of transformational change. “Young people in Sindh face multiple forms of inequality and grapple with challenges inherited from previous generations,” he shared, adding that this policy equips the youth with necessary skills and opportunities to define the future for themselves and their province.