Topic: Panel discussion on “Civic Engagement and Participatory Democracy: The Role of Young People in Promoting Good Governance”
Venue: Khawaja Ghulam Farid Auditorium, Baghdad-ul-Jadeed Campus, Islamia University Bahawalpur
Date: November 6, 2024

On November 6, 2024, Transparency International Pakistan (TI Pakistan) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB) to form a youth integrity club (YIC). The YIC aims to promote values of integrity, transparency, and accountability among young students to promote good governance, strengthen democratic processes, and promote the rule of law.

In this regard, under the MoU, TI Pakistan and IUB organized a panel discussion on “Civic Engagement and Participatory Democracy: The Role of Young People in Promoting Good Governance” in Khawaja Ghulam Farid Auditorium, Baghdad-ul-Jadeed Campus, IUB on November 7, 2024.

A total of 140 students and faculty members including 34 females. The panel discussion aimed at highlighting the critical role of youth in democratic processes, governance, the fight against corruption, and fostering a dialogue on how youth can contribute to strengthening democratic values, enhancing accountability, and promoting transparency in governance.

The distinguished panel comprised of:

• Professor Dr. Yasmin Rofi, Director Usman Buzdar School of Social Sciences, IUB
• Kashif Ali, Executive Director of Transparency International Pakistan
• Syed Hussain Haider Global Integrity Expert at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Pakistan

The panel discussion was commenced by Dr Shahbaz Ali Khan, Assistant Professor IUB, who delivered his opening remarks.

The panel discussion commenced by Prof. Dr Yasmin Rof., who stated that there are over 50 million youth in Pakistan who comprise a major portion of the country’s population. There is a considerable number of missing voters, highlighting that the active participation of youth in electoral process could become a harbinger of stronger democratic institutions in Pakistan. During the discussion, she also highlighted that educational institutions have a pivotal role in providing basic knowledge of governance. Such institutions could build the capacities of young people and provide hands-on experience in good governance, accountability, and transparency so that the youth could make informed decisions and demonstrate their participation in policies on several levels. Youth, she said, is very prompt in learning and adapting to changes taking place, therefore, when the youth is provided with skills and expertise, it will translate into the promotion of the rule of law and strengthening of the democratic process in Pakistan.

Later on, Mr. Kashif Ali explained the decades-long endeavours of TI Pakistan in strengthening democratic processes through encouraging transparency, accountability, anti-corruption, and the rule of law in Pakistan. He also said that youth has a fundamental role in matters of governance and policy-making. He elucidated that by empowering youth, we could strengthen our democratic processes and sow the seeds of betterment in Pakistan. Mr. Kashif went on to urge greater youth participation in political processes in Pakistan by providing them enabling environment, and awareness about their rights and engaging them in capacity building so as to materialize the vision of strong democracy. Mr Kashif further said that there’s a UNODC toolkit through which the young people can use to act as an oversight entity over matters of public interest, hence calling for transparent and accountable conduct. During his discussion, he urged the young people to utilize several accountability tools available such as right-to-information (RTI) laws, whistleblowing, youth integrity clubs, and youth civil societies to highlight the issues and provide their feedback for policies. He maintained that this way, youth could ensure their voices in policies and urge frameworks that lay down the foundation of strong youth participation.

Later, Mr. Syed Hussain Haider commenced his talk underlining that technology plays a key role in transparency and accountability in the contemporary age. Mr Hussain noted that through social media, youth can highlight different issues and form public awareness campaigns for informed citizenship. He further went on to say that the young generation has immense potential to promote the rule of law, therefore, they could become an ambassador for the rule of law, transparency, and good governance. For this, he underlined, the youth must be taken on board for their capacity building and must be given awareness of their rights and duties to the country. Mr Haider noted that since the contemporary age is defined by technology, and youth is well-versed in it, it is pertinent that they are provided with skills to utilize their potential in productive ways. He said that at a young age, if the right guidance about the rule of law and legal practices is provided, it will improve not only the quality of governance but their participation in such matters.

At the end of the panel discussion, students asked several questions about how to utilize the RTI process for acquiring information and how they can contribute to transparency and accountability. The students also raised questions about the recent 27^th constitutional amendment and the independence of the judiciary. One of the pertinent questions they asked was how could be youth hopeful in these times of despondency and political instability.

The panel discussion was concluded with the closing remarks delivered by the Dean Faculty of Social Sciences Dr Robina Bhatti in which she thanked TI Pakistan for collaborating and organizing such an informative discussion.

The panel discussion concluded by offering a token of appreciation to the panelists and the distribution of certificates among the participants.