Youth empowerment: Investment in youth essential to reap benefits

International Youth Day marked at UNDP headquarters

ISLAMABAD: With nearly 64 per cent of the country’s population under the age of 30, there is a significant opportunity to reap the benefit of the youth dividend- provided it makes critical investments in quality education, gainful employment and meaningful engagement.

This is the crux of the upcoming Pakistan National Human Development Report (NHDR) that came under discussion at a round-table conference held to mark the International Youth Day at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) headquarters, on Thursday.

The lead co-authors of the report Faisal Bari and Adil Najam presented key findings and salient features of the report on the occasion.

Najam skyped in from Boston, at the conference which was comprised of stakeholders such as civil society organisations, youth associations, UN agencies and donor partners.

The report underscores that without making these investments, the country risks a “youth bomb” as inequality, intolerance and marginalisation deepen in society.

Guided by an advisory council represented by major political parties, the government and intellectuals, the report has been an inclusive and participatory process, reaching a total of 130,000 individuals across the country, out of which 100,000 are youth.

The primary message of the NHDR is that the youth bulge is an opportunity to be reaped rather than a challenge to be addressed.

Najam pointed out it will take Pakistan as long as it has been a country, to reach full primary enrolment.



If Pakistan continues at its current growth rate in primary enrolment rate which stands at 1 per cent per year, it can only achieve universal primary education by 2067.

The report also notes that although quantity is critical; it is equally crucial to improve the quality of education in schools which will not only improve returns on education but will also drive quantity.

“Improving quality is a major challenge because it takes time to improve the curriculum of a school and that it is not just about filling spots or distributing money but a sustained effort and the role of politicians as opposed to the distribution of money,” said Najam.

Over 4 million individuals are entering youth working age every year and in order to absorb the country’s rising youth bulge in the job market, the report has calculated that the country will need to create between 1.5 million to 2.5 million additional jobs, every year.

On the other hand, although increasing the number of jobs is critical, it is equally important to look at the quality of work.

The report underlines that a large number of people are currently doing poor quality jobs: 25 per cent of young people are in unstable low-paid jobs without any security or benefits, and 35 per cent are unpaid family workers - the majority of whom are women.

In addition to providing young people with access to quality education and opportunities to work, building young people’s social capital and creating spaces for them to meaningfully engage with their society and increase their exposure to those outside of their community is imperative in building tolerance and preventing them from joining violent groups in areas especially prone to conflict.

The report indicates that engagement in community life is low and almost 90% of young people do not have access to recreational facilities that includes cinemas and sports grounds. The youth need opportunities and platforms that could help promote social cohesion and pluralism for tolerance in society.

There are also positive indications of engagement through the political process as the report that four out of five young people voted in the previous election, while more than 60 per cent of those surveyed intend to vote in the upcoming elections, notwithstanding the fact that only 24 per cent of them politicians.

Speaking to The Express Tribune at the conclusion of discussion, UNDP Country Director Marc Andre commented that the team had found out that the concerns of youth in terms of political engagement, education, jobs and sports are similar across the country.

“One of the important findings of the report is that quality will drive quantity – if you find quality jobs, it will drive quantity. If you are able to boost the quality of education, you will drive quantity. This is a very important finding for policymakers, it’s not simply about involving youth in politics, it’s about giving them real decision-making in the process,” he commented.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2016.