LocationsMobilizing the Next Generation of Change-makers
By Izbal Zehri | Member of the National Assembly of Pakistan
Mobilizing youth begins with recognition. Our youth must not just be viewed as beneficiaries of development, but rather as partners and co-creators of policy.
In the global pursuit of achieving the SDGs by 2030, Pakistan’s youth stand out as a group with immense potential, but they have significant barriers to overcome. With nearly 64 percent of our population under the age of 30, Pakistan is at a unique demographic juncture. If properly mobilized, this youth bulge can be the engine of sustainable and inclusive development. However, bold shifts in policymaking, structural reform, and above all, youth-centric leadership are needed.
The SDGs are not meant to be an abstract development jargon. They are a roadmap to justice, dignity, equality, and environmental protection. For Pakistan, these goals reflect deep-seated aspirations: access to quality education (SDG 4), gender equality (SDG 5), decent work (SDG 8), climate action (SDG 13), and peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16). While the SDG goals are universal, the pathways to achieving them must be rooted locally and youth-led.
The Role of Youth in Advancing the SDGs
Pakistan's youth are driving change through climate advocacy, technological innovation, social entrepreneurship, and grassroots activism. From rural Balochistan to urban Lahore, youth-led initiatives are tackling issues from plastic pollution to girls’ education. The challenge is not the absence of potential, rather the lack of space to scale impact.
Mobilizing youth begins with recognition. Our youth must not just be viewed as beneficiaries of development, but rather as partners and co-creators of policy. We must institutionalize youth voices across governance, whether through youth councils, parliamentary fellowships, or advisory roles within ministries.
Barriers to Youth Empowerment
Despite the talent, young Pakistanis face serious structural hurdles:
Lack of access to quality education and skills: According to the UNICEF report, The State of Children in Pakistan 2024, over 22 million children are out-of-school in Pakistan. Many graduates lack market-ready skills.
Unemployment: Youth unemployment remains high, and informal work dominates the landscape, leaving millions without social protections.
Digital and gender divides: Girls and young people from rural or conflict-affected regions frequently experience double marginalization, which limits their access to development opportunities. Women constitute nearly half of the nation’s population, yet occupy a meagre 3 percent of managerial roles. This reflects a deeply ingrained patriarchal bias that holds the belief that men are inherently more capable in the public sphere. The agricultural sector paints an equally troubling picture. While women contribute nearly 70 percent of the labor in farming, only 3 percent of agricultural land in Pakistan is owned by women. Ownership is withheld under the cultural pretext that women ‘cannot take care’ of land. This is claim is baseless and discriminatory, systemically denying women’s rights to property, autonomy, and dignity.
If these systemic issues are not addressed, we risk not just failing our youth but also missing the 2030 deadline for the SDGs.
A Political Lens to Mobilizing Youth
Pakistan’s development agenda must recognize youth as a political force. The 2024 general elections witnessed unprecedented youth engagement, with voter turnout among first-time voters reaching record highs. Youth are redefining politics, not just through ballots, but through activism, digital campaigns, and solidarity movements. Policymakers must embrace this shift. Therefore, inclusion means funding youth-led organizations, reforming education to focus on civic and climate literacy, and supporting safe platforms for political dialogue. It also means removing barriers for young women and marginalized communities to lead.
The Global Dimension
The SDGs are a global agenda, and Pakistani youth are global citizens. Through digital platforms, they are connected to movements from Palestine to climate justice. They are engaging with international platforms such as the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum or the UN Youth Delegate Program which helps young Pakistanis bring their local struggles to global attention. However, this must be supported by diplomatic and institutional pathways. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives should actively integrate youth voices into UN delegations and SDG monitoring reports.
The Way Forward
To truly mobilize the next generation of changemakers in Pakistan, we must adopt the following steps:
Institutionalize youth participation in policy and governance at all levels.
Invest in education and skill-building, especially in digital and climate resilience sectors.
Create funding mechanisms for youth-led innovation and advocacy.
Champion inclusive representation, particularly girls, rural youth, and minorities. For a progressive Pakistan, women should be treated more than just tokens in photo-ops. We must restructure the very systems that keep women out of boardrooms and land registries.
Forge public-private-youth partnerships to co-design and implement SDG solutions.
We are not running out of time, but we are running out of excuses. The world we inherit in 2030 will be shaped by the choices we make today. If we are serious about the SDGs, we must be serious about our youth, not just as tomorrow’s leaders, but as today’s most powerful agents of change.
To deny the youth their rightful place in decision-making and economic control is to deny Pakistan its future.