Engaging youth key to defeating Covid-19

SAPM says the youth just need opportunities and the right platform

The engagement and mobilisation of thousands of youngsters have helped combat the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country.

“Youth form the biggest asset of the country and given the ongoing pandemic, they can play a crucial role in Covid-19 response and recovery,” said Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar on Wednesday during an online seminar focusing on “Breaking Barriers for Meaningful Youth Engagement”.

The webinar had been hosted by the United Nations in Pakistan to commemorate the International Youth Day.

As part of the government’s efforts to engage the youth and tackle a global issue, Dar said that they had established the Tiger Force wherein young people were involved across Pakistan to fight the coronavirus.

“Through their participation and hard work, we have been able to spread and reiterate SOPs across the country,” he said.

”Our young people possess the energy and ability to contribute positively to the development of the nation. We just need to keep giving them the opportunities and right platforms.”

Ignacio Artaza, the resident representative of UNDP Pakistan, said that several UN agencies have been working closely to support a joint UN engagement of youth and adolescents in the Covid-19 response and that they had come together to advocate for greater youth engagement.

He added that the UN’s Youth 2030 strategy, which places young people at the centre of the development agenda, is especially relevant in Pakistan, where more than two-thirds of the population is under the age of 30.

With a decade remaining to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, participants of the webinar stressed that it is a critical time to build momentum and invest in young people so that they can realise their capabilities to pursue gainful and decent employment, education opportunities, health and wellbeing, as well as civic and political empowerment.

Recognizing the importance of meaningfully engaging with this demographic, several UN agencies in the country including UNICEF, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNESCO and UNDP have combined their efforts to draft a Youth Engagement Strategy, which aims to educate and engage adolescents and young people to play a positive role in response to Covid-19.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2020.