ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday reaffirmed his commitment that Pakistan would continue to lend its full support to Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in enhancing intra-regional trade among ECO countries as well as on the ECO reforms agenda.
He was talking to Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Amb. Khusrav Noziri who called on him at the PM House.
He highlighted the significance of “ECO Vision 2025”, signed during the 2017 ECO Summit in Islamabad under then Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, as an important document for the ECO.
The outgoing Secretary General apprised the Prime Minister about ECO’s initiatives and activities as well as his reform agenda to revitalize ECO during his tenure.
The prime minister appreciated the Secretary General’s efforts and contributions to promote ECO as a regional platform for cooperation and extended best wishes for his future endeavors.
He noted with pleasure that Amb. Noziri was a graduate of Pakistan’s Foreign Service Academy. The prime minister also conveyed his warm wishes for President Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan.
The prime minister also stated that Pakistan was proud that the incoming Secretary General of ECO would be Dr. Asad Majeed Khan, former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan.
The Secretary General conveyed his gratitude for Pakistan’s consistent support to him during his tenure as Secretary General ECO. APP
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday directed the relevant authorities to prepare a comprehensive strategy with respect to provision of employment opportunities to the youth of the country on equal basis.
Calling the youth as the assets of Pakistan, the prime minister said the country’s development was linked with their welfare and progress.
Chairing a meeting regarding Prime Minister’s Youth Programme at the PM House, he said, with their immense talent, the youth could change the fate of the country if they were provided with the required resources.
The prime minister was of the view that provision of employment opportunities to the youth was the government’s top priority.
He said all the training programmes at National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NVTTC) should be focused on creating job opportunities for the students.
He directed to conduct a detailed survey of job market and then accordingly start the skill training programmes.
During the meeting, it was informed that under PM Laptop Scheme, some 600,000 laptops had so far been delivered to the students.
Under this scheme, the government would provide additional 100,000 laptops during current year.
The meeting was informed that 64% students who got training under the Youth Skills Development Programme managed to get respectable jobs during previous three years.
It was told that the government funded 100 startups under its PM National Innovation Award who were being placed in designated incubation centers across the country.
Similarly, the prime minister was informed that 10 international standard sports academies and a biomechanical laboratory would start functioning this year under PM Youth Sports League.
Likewise, under the Prime Minister Green Youth Program, 268 universities across the country would be targeted for training youth on climate change prevention and eco-innovation.
“Preparation of National Youth Employment Policy 2024 is in final stages,” the meeting was told. The focus of the policy would be to create decent employment opportunities for the youth and increase the proportion of women in the workforce.
Similarly, it was told that PM Digital Hub was also being prepared which would be a one-window operation dashboard. The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State for Information Technology & Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Chairman PM Youth Programme Rana Mashhood, Coordinator to PM Rana Ihsan Afzal and other relevant high officials.
