Youth as Partners: Advancing Development through Intergenerational Solidarity

CBS conducted a webinar titled “Youth as Partners: Advancing Development Through Intergenerational Solidarity” to celebrate International Youth Day on August 12, 2022. The webinar was organized in collaboration with GSM and TCI.

 
The discussion revolved around the problems caused by the gaps between the generations and how to overcome them, while emphasizing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Furthermore, the ways this gap can be filled, were discussed as condensed by the UN: Education, law and policy, and intergenerational activities. 

The virtual event featured an expert pane in their respective domains:

 
1.    Prof. Dr Asghar Zaidi (Vice Chancellor of Government College University)
2.    Dr Syed Azizur Rab (CEO of GSM)
3.    Sarim Raza (Social Entrepreneur and Founder of ReTex)
4.    Huzaifa Mirza (Founder of Kaavish – a youth led NGO)
5.    Sophia Farooqui (President of LUMS Environmental Action Forum – LEAF, LUMS)
6.    Aiman Haroon (Manager of Communications for TCI at GSM)

The discussion was moderated by Mr Altamush Saeed, an animal rights lawyer and co-founder of Charity Doings Foundation. 

The discussion started with Prof. Dr Asghar Zaidi explaining what intergenerational solidarity means. He elaborated on the three global trends causing a change in intergenerational relationships: the increased life expectancies of people, the increased tendency towards individualism, and each generation feeling an increased entitlement towards rights from the welfare state. 

Regarding the viewpoint about the essentiality of the SDGs, keeping the socioeconomic conditions of Pakistan in mind, Dr. Azizur Rab gave a thorough answer: if older people- or even women- are thought of as ‘burdens’, that can be easily fixed by engaging these various segments of society and promoting diversity. This will allow society, he said, to grow exponentially and in the right direction, ticking off the SDGs as we go along! 

Saarim and Huzaifa dissected the topic, offering point of views from social entrepreneurship while Sophia spoke about the importance of intergenerational solidarity from the climate change awareness angle. Aiman Haroon shared the current initiatives that TCI is undertaking to tackle the issue of intergenerational disharmony. 

The conversation, circling SDGs, allowed for an in-depth analysis of how intergenerational disunity is decreasing the overall efficiency of Pakistan's economy and the community as a whole.