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Young Cities Virtual Policy Roundtable and Youth Campaign Showcase: Strengthening Youth-Led Social Cohesion Efforts and Collaborations in Pakistan

Publication Date:

20/08/2024

Content Type:

Event Reports

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HIVE PakistanKarachiLahorePakistanYoung CitiesYouth EngagementYouth Fellowsyouth-government engagement

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Event Details

Description: Young Cities held an online Policy Roundtable and Youth Campaign Showcase to mark the culmination of its Youth Leadership Fellowship in Pakistan. The virtual events collectively convened 84 stakeholders from across the country – including youth peacebuilders, local and national government representatives and civil society actors – to amplify the insights, leadership and achievements of the programme’s Youth Fellows and encourage cross-city partnerships.

Where & When: 30 – 31 July 2024, virtual

Partners: HIVE Pakistan

Cities Represented

• Karachi (Pakistan)
• Lahore (Pakistan)
• Islamabad (Pakistan)

Key Takeaways

For Mayors and Cities:

• Opportunities and good practices for effective youth-government engagement: While there are widespread challenges related to local coordination, implementation and resourcing when addressing social cohesion issues, participants explored several cases where there have been promising steps towards youth-government collaboration and youth empowerment in Lahore and Karachi. It was noted that assumptions regarding the attitudes and agendas of each side hinder attempts to build meaningful partnerships between youth and government leaders, and success can be found in working across party lines, ideologies and intersectional issue sets. Existing national- and provincial-level youth engagement efforts were also highlighted as opportunities that can be scaled with improved awareness and sustained political support across administrations.
• Practical approaches to igniting youth civic inclusion and action: Youth-led community initiatives have proven effective in building young people’s civic awareness, critical thinking skills and understanding of political processes. Creative approaches, incorporating scenario-based exercises, gamified activities and engagement with local political leaders have shown success, indicating the need for greater government investment in interactive civic education resources and experiences for students. Youth Fellows noted that initiatives should build on existing educational structures and curricula to avoid duplicating and hindering efforts and that products should be developed sustainably with diverse audiences in mind. 
• Addressing locally-sensitive issues through multi-stakeholder and arts-based approaches: Community-led efforts that leveraged connections with influential and diverse stakeholders and drew on creative peacebuilding approaches reached a wider set of community members, including those deemed ‘harder to reach’. These strategies were used by four youth-led groups to impact complex issues including religious discrimination against minorities in political systems and the media, community tensions in localities like Lyari, Karachi, and the lack of digital literacy among madrassa students vulnerable to online hate speech.

Next Steps

While Young Cities has now concluded its programme in Pakistan, it will continue to engage local stakeholders in the region through Strong Cities Network’s South Asia Regional Hub to scope opportunities to strengthen youth-government ties and social cohesion efforts.

Following the Roundtable, a Joint Declaration was circulated among youth and government stakeholders to signify a commitment to advancing greater youth inclusion in policymaking and engaging in collaborative community initiatives. The Declaration has so far received 36 signatures across Lahore and Karachi. Stakeholders in both cities have been encouraged to share actions they take to implement this declaration with Young Cities to build on good practices in this area.

Partners

Additional Resources

• Enhancing Cooperation Between Youth and Local Policymakers in Pakistan: Young Roundtables in Lahore and Karachi, Young Cities, May 2024
• Young Cities in Pakistan (Video)
• Young Cities: A Practical Guide to Youth Capacity Building for Countering Hate and Extremism, Young Cities, August 2022
• Young Cities Global Booklet, Young Cities, August 2022

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