ISLAMABAD:Pakistan on Thursday marked the International Youth Day with a resounding commitment to unleash their full potential by creating an enabling environment in all spheres of life.
A number of events, conferences, and webinars were arranged across the country to highlight importance of youth in the national development and discuss a way forward for their socio-economic uplift.
The day was also observed in other parts of the world in line with the United Nations’ this year theme titled “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”.
Addressing at the launch of ‘Sports and Co-curricular Activities Division’ under the Kamyab Jawan programme at the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in connection with International Youth Day, President Dr Arif Alvi stressed the need for universities in the country to emerge as ‘centres of excellence’ to side by side hone talent of their students in academic and co-curricular domains.
The president said promoting healthy activities through sports was fundamental to the physical and social development of youth.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Youth Affairs Muhammad Usman Dar announced multiple sports initiatives for the youth on the occasion.
The projects included Kamyab Jawan Markaz, high performance sports academies, Youth Olympics, Innovation League and Green Youth Movement, he added.
He told the participants at launching ceremony of “Sports and Co-curricular” division that national heroes would be produced for the country through those projects.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib urged youth to help the government counter hybrid warfare waged against Pakistan by anti-state elements on different media platforms through fake news and propaganda campaigns.
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said the federal government introduced ‘Kamyab Jawan–Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme’ to eradicate unemployment from the country.
The first International Youth Day was observed on 12 August 2000. It was based on a recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in Lisbon to the UN General Assembly.