Friday, September 16, 2011

Involvement of youth stressed in democratic process

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the Netherlands supported Strengthening Democracy through Parliamentary Development (SDPD) project, organised a panel discussion entitled “Youth Inclusion and Democracy” in recognition of the International Day of Democracy today. The event was part of a series of activities organised by UNDP to commemorate this day, and to deliberate on democracy in Pakistan.

Participants emphasised on the importance of youth involvement in democratic development. Under this premise, the discussions revolved around three sub-themes of youth and democratic governance; the political empowerment of youth; and role of youth in the forthcoming general elections of 2013. The event was attended by eminent politicians, civil society activists, member of academia, media personnel, and nearly 100 students from around the country.

In his opening remarks, Toshihiro Tanaka, the country director of UNDP, shared the messages from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and quoted UNDP Administrator Helen Clark that “Democracy cannot be exported or imposed; it must come from the will of the people. The rest of us can support nations on the path they lay out for themselves to meet their aspirations for equity, inclusiveness and empowerment”.

He also highlighted the need for harnessing the potential of the youth in democratic development. “With 68 percent of the population under 30 years of age, youth are the main drivers to support transformational change towards a healthy democratic society with creativity, courage and responsibility,” he said.

Palwasha Khan, a member of the National Assembly (MNA), chaired the panel on youth and democratic governance. She stressed the need for overcoming pessimism and to embrace the inevitability of change and for youth to become the drivers of the change. ‘The power to vote, time and the large proportion of youth are key strengths, and ensure an effective voice in the political process if utilised properly,’ she stated.

Salman Abid, regional head of Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO), reiterated the importance of voting for the youth in the upcoming elections and mentioned that the voter registration from the youth bracket in the previous elections had been very low. Abid also stressed that the first step towards empowerment is for them to create awareness amongst their peers to register their votes.

UNDP works towards the improvement of governance at federal, provincial and particularly district levels through political and fiscal devolution, transparency and accountability, strengthening of state institutions, system and capacity and promotion of local participation and ownership.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

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