The British Council formally launched the Pakistan Youth Leadership Initiative (PYLI), at a ceremony at the Higher Education Commission in Islamabad yesterday.
The event featured esteemed guests, including the Chair of the British Council Dr Paul Thompson, Country Director of the British Council in Pakistan, James Hampson, Executive Director of Higher Education Commission, Dr Prof Zia Ul Qayyum, Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed and Executive Director of Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), Mr Abdullah Al Abdulla.
PYLI is a three-year initiative led by the British Council Pakistan is co-funded by Education Above All Foundation’s programme “Reach Out to Asia” (ROTA) under their “Global Citizenship Education for Climate Action” (GCED) initiative.
The project is being implemented in in partnership with the Government of Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, Higher Education Commission, Water Aid Pakistan, UNDP Pakistan, local civil society organisations and public universities.
PYLI’s objective is that young women and men in Pakistan are aware of social and ethical values, and respectful of diversity by taking inclusive and responsible actions to influence local, national, and global sustainable development agenda on climate action.
Working on higher quality youth education is fundamental to creating a solid foundation and through educating every generation of Pakistan the British Council aims to create a more prosperous and sustainable society.
The launch event featured a PYLI partners panel, the unveiling of a Digital Learning Portal and the official launch of the project by the distinguished chief guests. The event also featured panel discussions on the challenges and opportunities faced by the youth in Pakistan and climate education. Skill workshops for youth were also organised around climate diplomacy, green entrepreneurship and gender and social inclusion for community development.
Dr Paul Thompson, Chair of the British Council said: “The Pakistan Youth Leadership Initiative is about putting the future in the hands of young people. We expect to train 290,000 young people from across Pakistan, including those studying at public universities, will get the training they need to lead initiatives which will take action against the urgent challenge of climate change.”
Mr. Abdulla Al-Abdulla, Executive Director, ROTA said: “Reach Out To Asia (ROTA), a Programme of the Education Above All Foundation (EAA), recognises the youth of Pakistan as key drivers of climate action and we are committed to support their journey to make a positive and meaningful impact through the Pakistan Youth Leadership Initiative (PYLI) in partnership with British Council Pakistan.”