Pakistan and Commonwealth to Collaborate on Youth Empowerment, Good Governance, and Climate Change
— August 1, 2024
ISLAMABAD (AIA) Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, leading a five-member delegation, met with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister House on Thursday.
Welcoming Secretary-General Scotland on her first official visit to Pakistan, PM Shehbaz appreciated the Commonwealth’s consistent support for Pakistan’s socio-economic and democratic institutions. He reaffirmed the government’s desire to work with the Commonwealth on shared interests, particularly youth empowerment, good governance, and climate change.
The prime minister emphasized that young people under the age of 30 comprise two-thirds of Pakistan’s population. He highlighted that providing modern education and technical training to the youth is one of the government’s highest priorities, citing various initiatives under the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme. He expressed a desire to work with the Commonwealth to enhance opportunities for Pakistani youth in the global high-tech economy.
Patricia, appreciating the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, acknowledged the prime minister’s leadership and commitment to youth empowerment initiatives.
Ms. Patricia offered the Commonwealth’s Performance Management System to improve the performance of government departments and provide real-time success evaluation. She also invited Pakistan to join the Commonwealth Artificial Intelligence Consortium (CAIC).
PM Shehbaz expressed interest in evaluating the Commonwealth Performance Management System for further improving governance and transparency in Pakistan’s public sector. He also welcomed the invitation to join CAIC, highlighting opportunities for Pakistani youth in global innovations like cloud computing and generative AI, empowering them to contribute to sustainable economic development.
Addressing climate change, a common priority for both Pakistan and the Commonwealth, the premier appreciated the Secretary-General’s climate advocacy for Pakistan following the devastating 2022 floods. He restated Pakistan’s interest in collaborating with the Commonwealth to mobilize more international support for climate-vulnerable countries like Pakistan at the forthcoming COP29 in Baku.
Secretary-General Scotland praised the government’s post-flood reconstruction efforts and hoped for increased international support in building Pakistan’s climate resilience.
Looking ahead to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa later this year, both leaders discussed ways to coordinate on key issues of mutual interest and chart a roadmap for the Commonwealth.
The prime minister congratulated Secretary-General Commonwealth on successfully steering the Commonwealth through a time of significant global change and wished her a successful and productive stay in Pakistan.
Chairman PM Youth Programme Rana Mashhood and SAPM Syed Tariq Fatemi also attended the meeting