ISLAMABAD: The two-day first SAARC Young Parliamentarians’ Conference jointly organised by National Assembly of Pakistan and Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) started on Tuesday.
The conference was inaugurated by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) future leaders could settle the outstanding issues through dialogue and engagement to move towards peace and prosperity in the region. He said this while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the first SAARC Young Parliamentarians’ Conference being held in Islamabad from August 16-18.
SAARC Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa was also present during the conference. As many as 28 parliamentary delegates from the SAARC member countries are participating in the conference along with four international experts.
The NA speaker, while calling it a momentous occasion in the history of democracy of the region, said that South Asia must not remain a “Prisoner of the Past” but it should radiate fresh ideas and aspirations of our combined future. The statesmanship demanded that we confront our issues judiciously and address them honestly with an aim to solve them sincerely, he said. He outlined that shared cultures and histories of the region, and developing economies could provide ample opportunities to work together to address common challenges.
Sadiq highlighted that the goal of holding this conference was to build bridges between the future leaders of South Asia on a platform that supports continued engagement and cooperation. He urged the young parliamentarians to grasp the opportunity and with legislation and oversight powers and to turn the dream of a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood into a beaming reality. The inaugural SAARC Young Parliamentarians’ Conference was a milestone to strategise a vision of vibrant, skilled and socially proactive youth citizenship in all member countries, the NA speaker said. “Special attention must be paid to encourage youth participation in politics and civil society, and bringing about gender equality in all dimensions of our societies”, he added.
He urged the delegates to make SAARC Young Parliamentarians’ Conference into a forum that could streamline youth-related initiatives through legislative, representative and oversight tools within and outside members of Parliament for the mutual goal of youth emancipation. Sadiq expressed his hope that the diverse themes being discussed and deliberated in the inaugural session of SAARC Young Parliamentarians’ Conference would augment the joint efforts of all young parliamentarians from the region to provide sustainable solutions to our common challenges of human security, poverty, malnutrition, addressing climate change and meeting the newly instituted sustainable development goals (SDGs). The conference is an initiative by Sardar Ayaz Sadiq that will offer region’s young parliamentarians’ narrative as a prelude to the 19th SAARC Summit, which Pakistan is going to host in November this year.
