KARACHI - Sindh’s first ever youth policy was officially launched in the presence of hundreds of youth, government officials, international donors and members of the civil society at an event here on Saturday.

The much-awaited youth policy drew technical support from Bargad and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), while Oxfam, RHRN, Civil Society Programme (CSP) and a number of civil society and youth organizations and government bodies spurred the process.

Speaking at the event, the chief guest, Youth Minister Abid Hussain Bhayo said the government of Sindh is cognizant of the sheer number of young people in the province and is working on radical changes that would transform their potential into a driver of growth for the province.

He announced that under the Sindh Youth Policy, a youth development commission and a youth venture capital fund will be established by the government. “Student unions will be revived and remodelled to promote pro-peace, women-friendly and student-centred activities on campuses. Five percent of seats will be reserved for young people in local bodies,” he said.

The minister told the audience that under the policy the youth will be engaged in decision-making at the municipal and provincial levels and community service and volunteerism will be promoted. “Through youth-led campaigns, inter-faith harmony will be encouraged,” he said.

Youth Affairs Department Secretary Dr Niaz Ali Abbasi announced that Sindh government’s e-Rozgar scheme will provide jobs to youth without formal education. He said the Sindh Youth Policy is result of a province-wide consultative process involving multiple stakeholders and most importantly the youth. “Efforts will be made to encourage youth entrepreneurship through training at incubation centres, market linkages and partnership with educational institutions,” he said.

Bargad Executive Director Sabiha Shaheen congratulated the Sindhi youth for being given a comprehensive framework aimed at their social, economic and political empowerment. “From 2012 to 2015, over 5,000 youth participated in the consultative process. The policy, devised in light of suggestions and needs of Sindh’s youth includes a clear roadmap, time-bound strategies, quantified targets and potential partners,” she said.

Oxfam Country Director Mohammed Qazilbash said that harnessing the energy and strength of young women and men to become active citizens is core to Oxfam's goal of transformational change. “Young people in Sindh face multiple forms of inequality and grapple with challenges inherited from previous generations. This policy ensures youth have the necessary skills and opportunities to define the future for themselves and their province,” he said.

Dr Kaiser Bengali, economist and dean SZABIST, said, “It is important to know where we want to go. For this, it is important to know which bus to take. A policy tells us which bus to take and where we want to go. The Sindh government and Bargad deserve credit for the Sindh Youth Policy.”

RHRN National Coordinator Faisal Shabbir applauded the Sindh Youth Policy for envisioning, supporting and enabling a positive policy environment for adolescents. “I hope the policy will make way for provision of adolescent and youth friendly health services in primary health care system and will initiate youth-led campaigns to promote youth health and their rights,” he said.

Noor Muhammad Bajeer, chief executive officer of Civil Society Programme, expressed the hope that the policy will bridge the urban-rural divide by initiating collective youth actions and open many avenues for youth of far flung areas of the province. He appreciated government’s plans to promote active citizenship, volunteerism and respect for rule of law among the youth.

A youth representative, Abdul Bari, said the spirit of the formulative phase of the policy will be sustained and an alliance of government, private sector and civil society organizations will put the youth at the centre of the policy implementation in Sindh.  A woman youth representative welcomed move of the government to appoint youth ambassadors to boards of all autonomous bodies and state-owned enterprises to ensure 10 percent quota for women, disabled persons and minorities in jobs.

An intensive social media campaign was also launched during the event to reach to a wider audience. The hashtag #SindhYouthPolicy trended on twitter in multiple cities of Sindh.