The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the Netherlands supported
Strengthening Democracy through Parliamentary Development (SDPD)
project, organized a panel discussion entitled “Youth Inclusion and
Democracy”
in recognition of the International Day of Democracy on
Thursday. The event was part of a series of activities organized by
UNDP to commemorate this day, and to deliberate on democracy in
Pakistan.
Participants emphasized 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, Mr. Toshihiro Tanaka, Country Director UNDP
shared the messages from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and quoted
UNDP Administrator Helen Clark “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 to harness the potential of the Youth
bulge in democratic development. “With 68% 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.
Ms. Palwasha Khan, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Pakistan
Peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPPP), chaired the panel on Youth and
Democratic Governance. She stressed the need to overcome pessimism and
embrace the inevitability of change and for youth to become the drivers
of 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 utilized properly’, she stated.
Mr. Salman Abid, Regional Head Strengthening Participatory
Organization (SPO), reiterated the importance 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. Mr. 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. SANA
