AJK Premier Seeks UNICEF's Assistance For Building Capacity Of Youth

The Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Tanveer Ilyas on Tuesday asked UNICEF to assist in capacity building of the public sector and induce other international donor agencies for funding development projects in AJK

MUZAFFARABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Mar, 2023 ):The Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Tanveer Ilyas on Tuesday asked UNICEF to assist in capacity building of the public sector and induce other international donor agencies for funding development projects in AJK.

He was talking to the UNICEF delegation led by its Country Representative Abdullah Fadal during a meeting. UNICEF Country Consultant Jasim Anwar, Secretary to PM Fayaz Ali Abbassi, Senior Addition Secretary to PM and Secretary PM Secretariat Masood ur Rehman were also present on the occasion.

Tanveer Ilyas said, "We are lacking in imparting training facility institutions in Azad Kashmir to provide training to our employees and our educated youth to build their capacities on modern lines." This scarcity could be fulfilled by UNICEF and other agencies, he said and expressed his hope that UNICEF would help in this regard.

Tanveer Ilyas said the AJK government was working out for to make the unemployed youth skilful and utilize their skill in the private sector and help eliminate unemployment from the liberated territory.

He asked the UNICEF delegation to impart skilful training to youth and women of Azad Kashmir in the public and private sector to make them self-reliant in their better earnings.

"We have above 70 % education in Azad Kashmir and our people have high awareness and capability to compete in every field of life.

Our government will fully cooperate with UNICEF and other agencies for providing assistance and imparting skill training facilities to our youth and women." Abdullah Fadal, on the occasion, said some 200,000 children are out of school in Azad Kashmir and the UNICEF was striving to get them enrolled in educational institutions with better facilities. "We will coordinate with the AJK government to resolve the unemployment, health, and educational issues in the territory as we did during the 2005 earthquake in Azad Kashmir." Abdullah Fadal said that he will make contact with the representatives of the World Bank and other international agencies to review their policy and their strategy to make developmental funding in Azad Kashmir and ensured that he will work as an ambassador in Islamabad for Azad Kashmir.

He said that UNICEF will work in the private sector in Azad Kashmir to increase its bandwidth so that it could provid more employment opportunities to youth.

He also ensured that "our teams from different institutions will visit Azad Kashmir and make work plan for investment in education, health and other sectors and enhance the capacity of the youth, including girls in Azad Kashmir."