Efforts to empower Pakistani youth, Telenor Pakistan, the Royal Norwegian Embassy and Government of Norway have jointly inaugurated the second community centre in Dera Ismail Khan. Part of the comprehensive UNDP Youth and Social Cohesion project, the joint inauguration was followed by the signing of a MoU between UNDP and Telenor Pakistan which sets the framework for both partners to co-operatively pursue convergent development goals in Pakistan.
The development is a first-stage constituent of a 3-stage initiative starting in 2015, wherein Telenor Pakistan provided material and technical assistance to UNDP in the construction of three community centres in UC Musazai of District DI Khan. Telenor Pakistan will be extending similar support for the second and third stages of the project that comprise interventions and expansion of services and resources respectively.
With Pakistan currently experiencing a dramatic growth in its youth population, the youth bulge can both be seen as force for good- with great potential for generating economic growth; and potential disaster- should large segments become unemployed, criminalized and violent.
A three-year initiative aims at leveraging Pakistan's immensely rich youth potential towards triggering positive, long-term development. "We are pleased to be progressing in a partnership that brings us closer to achieving our goal of empowering the Pakistani society. Although we still have a long way to go, we are already making headway and the second community centre is ready to engage the youth of KPK in constructive pursuits," said Michael Foley, CEO Telenor Pakistan while inaugurating the centre.
"We aim to provide the unemployed and disillusioned youth in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with opportunities to interact and engage in social/communal spaces, free from pernicious narratives and discourses, so they are less likely to be drawn towards anti-state elements, and more towards alternative pathways of positive development," he added.
The UNDP Youth and Social Cohesion project addresses the need to improve data and analysis on conflict and radicalisation, while enabling conflict-prone communities to engage at-risk youths. The project will provide the government and civil society actors with technical expertise and evidenced-based data from its mapping and research interventions. The project will also work with communities in selected conflict-prone districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to strengthen youth participation and engagement in decision-making and providing facilities for community activities and services targeting youths. The project will equally target young women, as well as young men under its interventions.-PR
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