Importance of Skills and the Sensitive Issues of Society

Lahore: Institute for Social and Youth Development (ISYD) and Y-PEER Pakistan in collaboration with Ministry of Climate Change, ARROW, IPAS Pakistan, MASHAL, The Millennium Universal College, Opportunity Club, Proud Pakistan Foundation and Center for Education & Development (CED) organized 3rd Interactive Youth Forum 2021 (IYF 2021) with aim to sensitize youth about the importance of skills and the sensitive issues of society.

The participants of session on the topic Meaningful Youth Engagement around Life Skills Based Education, Population and Health dynamic for Good Health and Well-being believe that youth is less aware of issues like reproductive health, family planning, climate change, life skills, etc and do not claim their rights because of restrictions at communal, societal, institutional and political levels. Representative of UNFPA Shoaib Ahmed, representative of ARROW Kamal, representative of Bayer Pakistan Amir Majeed, Founder Mashal Laraib Abid, CEO Opportunity Club Ahsan Kamray, Trans Activist Moon Ali spoke to the session while Baila Anjum moderated it. Participants of 2nd session on (Youth Leadership, Youth Friendly Health Services and Climate Change believes that the two biggest challenges confronting Pakistan in the twenty-first century are climate change and growing population-poverty nexus. They are intertwined and hold Pakistan back from economic development and prosperity. Despite an early start in tackling both, Pakistan did not continue with its focus on environmental protection and met only limited success in restraining population growth.

The rapid and unplanned increase in population adversely affects the physical environment, erodes the carrying capacity of ecosystems and increases the exposure to climate-induced disasters in both urban and rural settings. Since most poor people live on marginal lands and in fragile ecosystems, they are often least prepared to manage multi-tiered challenges. Executive Director Bargad Sabiha Shaheen, representative from Ministry of Climate Change Muneer Sohail, Vice Chairman PHA Hafiz Zeeshan, Senior Research & Evaluation Adviser – Ipas Pakistan Hina Aziz, representative of Rahnuma – FPAP Khubaib Kayani, representative of Peace Hope Pakistan Faisal Ilyas were the speakers of this session while  Etaas Sandhu moderated it. Executive Director ARROW Sivananthi Thanenthiran gave opening remarks while video messages of Senior Advocacy Advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Dr. Yasmeen Qazi, Health Adviser Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, British High Commission Dr. Sara Shahzad, Director, Adolescents and Youth FP2030 Catherine Lane, UNFPA Representative (A.I) Pakistan Bakhtior Kadirov were also shared with the participants. Trans Rights Activist Zanaya Chaudhary, Differently-abled person Moiz Shaukat, representative of BARGAD Noor Imran also spoke to the forum. Theatrical performance, Musical Performance was also held to amuse the participants. At the end, awards, souvenirs and certificates were distributed among speakers and participants of the Forum.