Dutch embassy, UNODC host girls' football clinic

ISLAMABAD:

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in close partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), organised a football clinic for young girls under the theme "Building Bridges Through Sports."

Held at the Football Factory in Islamabad, the initiative exemplified the power of sports in fostering inclusion, resilience, and peaceful communities, particularly among youth.

The event brought together over 35 football-playing girls, aged 14–18, from Islamabad Model College for Girls (F-6/2) and Islamabad Model College for Girls (I-10/4). The clinic aimed to inspire teamwork, leadership, and mutual respect through structured sports activities, serving as a platform for promoting social cohesion and preventing violent extremism (PVE) at the grassroots level.

In his opening remarks, UNODC Country Representative in Pakistan, Troels Vester, emphasized, "At UNODC, we firmly believe that when young people especially young girls are given meaningful opportunities to participate, to lead, and to shape decisions that affect their lives, they become powerful agents of resilience against the forces of radicalisation and violence."