By Asim Hussain
ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) have agreed to devise a collaborative framework for advancing youth empowerment, climate resilience and green economy initiatives across Pakistan.
In this regard, the two sides signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) here on Thursday. SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, and PMYP Joint Secretary Dr Muhammad Ali Malik signed the document on behalf of their respective organizations. PMYP Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan was also present on the occasion.
PMYP Chairman, Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan pledged that now the two sides will jointly work to enhance skills development among the youth, foster sustainability leadership, and create pathways for meaningful youth engagement in climate resilience and the evolving green economy, contributing to inclusive and sustainable national development.
He said the PMYP will provide institutional support across its four Es (Education, Employment, Engagement and Environment) Progremme and will make available its Digital Youth Hub (DYH) and nationwide network of Youth Development Centres (YDCs) to facilitate youth registration, outreach and participation in trainings, bootcamps and other initiatives under the collaboration.
Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri hoped that the partnership would strongly build youths’ capacity in climate adaptation planning, promote circular economy principles and practices, and support evidence-based assessments of green jobs and emerging workforce opportunities in the country.
He added that the agreement envisages a five-year collaborative partnership, wherein SDPI will lead research, policy analysis and evidence-generation initiatives related to youth development, and will share its findings, datasets and technical expertise with PMYP to support evidence-based planning and programme design.
Both organizations also agreed to engage private sector partners to create internship, volunteer and employment pathways for youth, and to mobilize donors and development partners to support pilot projects, scale-up efforts and impact assessment of outcomes.
It was also decided that the SDPI’s Centre for Learning and Development (CLD), would serve as a key platform for providing PMYP participants with hands-on exposure to research, policy analysis and skills development aligned with future workforce needs.
The LoI, which is non-binding in nature, will remain valid for an initial term of five years, extendable by mutual written consent. It is likely to pave the way for future binding agreements between the two organizations, including joint grant-writing opportunities.
Both sides expressed confidence that the partnership would help equip Pakistan’s youth with knowledge, skills and opportunities needed to actively contribute to the country’s sustainable development goals.
