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Celebrating International Youth Day 2017 Pakistan

To mark International Youth Day 2017, Oxfam in Pakistan celebrated young people and their achievements on August 10, in Islamabad. We were joined by over 300 young people, policymakers, government members, social enterprisers, young entrepreneurs, private sector, academia and media.  The event featured Pakistan’s first PechaKucha and invited young entrepreneurs, youth activists and digital innovators to exchange their ideas and share their stories. We also hosted a panel on youth’s economic reforms and discussed a variety of youth issues from public policies to youth marketing, inclusive businesses and building synergies with academia. Young participants pledged their commitment to #empoweryouthforwork and were part of various youth mobilisation activities on ground. Speaking at the occasion, Country Director Mohammed Qazilbash reiterated Oxfam’s commitment towards supporting young people, in particular young girls, in becoming leaders and ensuring that their role in Pakistani society and economy is adequately valued and recognized.

Did you know: 130 million people in Pakistan are young below the age of 30. Our youth bulge stands at 65% of the total population. 4 million young people enter the workforce each year. Out of these 60 percent are employed in low paid or unstable jobs and 35 percent are never paid! Global Youth Development Index Report 2016 puts Pakistan at 154 among 183 countries and records a dramatic fall in youth’s civic participation. Youth’s socio-economic empowerment is a consistence feature across #OxfaminPakistan programmes. Our advocacy efforts are centered on effectively working with national stakeholders to promote youth rights, generate discourse and eventually gather support for youth empowerment in Pakistan.

Hashtags used: #oxfamyouth #letstriggerchange

Links to media that published about the event: