Workshop: Localization of SDGs – Youth Consultation Workshop
Date: August 12, 2022
Venue: Hala, District Matiari, Sindh

International Youth Day is celebrated every year on August 12 to promote and appreciate youth,  encourage them to come forward for sustainable development. In this context, Transparency  international Pakistan in collaboration with Youth Development Forum (YDF) arranged a workshop ‘Localization of SDGs – Youth Consultation Workshop’ in Hala, District Matiari. A  total of 40 participants including 34 males and 06 females participated in the workshop.

The Workshop Started with the recitation of Holy Quran by Mr. Awais Memon who recited the  verses from the Holy Quran. After that, Mr. Muhammad Sajid Saddar gave a brief Introduction  of Youth Development Forum (YDF) and Transparency International Pakistan (TI) Pakistan.

Mr. Raiz Ali Burriro, Program Manager Sindh Health & Education Development Society   (SHEDS) interacted with the youth and delivered a speech on SDGs and Youth Leadership. He had a point of view that our young leaders should come forward and inspire all of us to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Youth should show leadership and contribute to a more sustainable world. Mr. Ashfaque Ahmed Qureshi, Deputy Director Social Welfare Department, Govt. of Sindh delivered a speech on SDGs Localization and the role of youth in implementing the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

 He shared that “Localizing” is the process of taking into account subnational contexts in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. Localization relates both to how the SDGs can provide a framework for local development policy and to how local and regional governments can support the achievement of the SDGs through action from the bottom-upapproach. Mr. Raj Asnani from Youth Competence Association delivered a speech on Youth Participation for Inclusive and Sustainable Development and the Barriers to Youth Engagement at the local level. He said that youth show extraordinary strength, leadership and resilience and they urgently  need to be better supported for their volunteerism on environmental action and sustainable development.

 The government cannot negate the strength of youth, and needs their engagement including in policy and decision making. He also highlighted the adverse impact of corrupt practices in the country which are destroying the future of young people, and as a result, large number of talented young people are moving out of country.

Moving on, Mr. Lal Din Balal, District Manager HANDS discussed Role of Youth in the implementation of SDG 16 with particular focus on SG16.10: Access to information. He introduced Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Act 2016 and highlighted its importance for access to public information. He emphasized that once citizens have the public information, they can hold leaders and public officials accountable. He discussed in detail the procedure of filing RTI requests. Towards the end, the session was opened for comments and Q&A. The participants asked various questions form the speakers, which were answered comprehensively.

In the end, Ms. Nazish Fatima, Board Member, Youth Development Forum (YDF) thanked all the participants for their active participation and input.