Plan Pakistan, a non-governmental organisation held a meeting with key stakeholders to give them a briefing on “Adolescents Development Policy Framework”.
Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Begum Zakia Shahnawaz chaired the meeting that was held to share the importance of Plan Pakistan framework’s possible adoption by the Punjab government’s Department of Youth Affairs.
Dr Irfan Ahmad of Plan Pakistan said Pakistan was the sixth most populous country in the world and currently had one of the largest cohorts of young people in its history, with approximately 25 million people between 15-24 years of age. “While those between 9-19 years age are called ‘adolescents’ and currently a large portion of Pakistan’s population—39.5 million (2007-8) falls in the ‘adolescent’ category,” he added.
He said those young ones were passing through the most vulnerable years of their lives while maturing physically, sexually, and psychologically. “How these years are spent, determines the rest of an individual‘s life. Therefore if they are not supported and guided we can lose a vibrant generation that can play a crucial role in future human development,” he said.
Ahmed said if there were an economic and social investment, that age group would have the maximum potential to produce long-term, positive benefits for themselves, their parents and their country in the future. He said there had been government’s initiatives in the past but they always focused on youth beyond 19 years of age and as a result the adolescents of Pakistan remained neglected.
He said the aim of the policy framework was to create an atmosphere to help adolescents realise their full potential by assisting them in their formative years.
“But this work needs a focus and a forum for planning and review, and proper coordination of the multiplicity of services to meet the needs of adolescents and finally the proposed Policy Framework will be the document on which the Policy for Adolescent in Punjab (PAP) will be built upon,” he added. He said the Adolescents Development Policy Framework covered five major areas including adolescents’ rights, health, education, livelihood and adolescents in crisis.
Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab Begum Zakia Shahnawaz said that development of this framework was a great contribution of Plan Pakistan and the Punjab government would make all its efforts to annex this framework with Punjab Youth Policy 2011. Deputy Secretary Planning at Youth Affairs Department Maqbool Ahmad Malick said the Punjab government was going to introduce the draft of Punjab Youth Policy 2011 soon and that the government was in close contact with MPAs, different government and the non-governmental organisations in that regard.
Senior journalist Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami said that it was the responsibility of the media to make the general public aware about the importance of the rights of adolescents. He said the government should adopt a policy framework for the adolescents in Pakistan.
MPA Seemal Kamran, Standing Committee of Youth Affairs Punjab member Aneela Akhtar Chaudhary, MPA Dr Asma Mamdot also spoke on the occasion.