ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced the formation of the National Youth Council aimed at engaging and empowering young people in policymaking, while playing a meaningful role in strengthening national institutions.

The Prime Minister will serve as the Chairman of the Council, with provincial youth affairs ministers from across Pakistan, including representatives from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, as members.

The council will include 113 youth members, representing young individuals aged 10 to 29 years. It will act as an official body for youth-led civil society, drawing representation from both the public and private sectors nationwide. Its mission is to advance the youth development and empowerment agenda, as outlined in the National Youth Development Framework.

The National Youth Council will focus on advising and supporting efforts to integrate youth into all stages of governance, from policy-making to implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Its goal is to create a sustainable platform for collaboration between young people, decision-makers in the public and private sectors, and international youth-led development initiatives.

One of the council’s key functions will be to amplify the voices of young people, ensuring they are meaningfully included in decision-making at all levels of government. It will also work to identify policy and institutional gaps while providing strategic guidance for youth development and empowerment.

In addition, the council will support governments at all levels in developing youth-focused programs and reforms, while monitoring and evaluating the impact of pro-youth schemes. It will also contribute to strengthening the institutional framework of the National Youth Council.

The council members will concentrate on seven thematic areas: policy support, media engagement, institutionalizing the National Youth Council, assisting marginalized youth, employment opportunities, reproductive health, and overall youth engagement.