Italy to invest 40mn euros for youth development across Pakistan, says Italian envoy
Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo says there is immense potential in youth-dominated Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Italian Ambassador to Pakistan Stefano Pontecorvo on Sunday said that the Italian government planned on investing 40 million euros in Pakistan for the development of youth across the country.
The ambassador was attending theinauguration ceremony in relation to aweek-long Program for Poverty Reduction (PPR) in collaboration with theItalian Agency for Development Cooperation.
"Sixty-five per cent of Pakistan’s population is under 35 and there is immense potential in the youth. Italy hopes to invest more in youth development policies to empower the future of the country,” he said.
The trainings were especially conducted for communities based in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the region formerly known as Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (Fata), to uplift socio-economic conditions.
The ceremony was also attended by Emanuela Benini, Director Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Pakistan, Simi Kamal, Head of Programmes PPAF, and Qazi Azmat Isa, CEO PPAF.
Speaking on the occasion, Emanuela Benini said that it was a delight to see the impact of PPR training sessions for communities in Pakistan and hope that everyone had an insightful week of learning.
CEO PPAF Qazi Azmat Isa also lauded the efforts of the Italian government and stressed that without their active participation, such sessions could not have been possible.
The programme runs in 14 districts covering 38 union councils with 17 partner organisations. The goal of the programme is poverty reduction through the creation of sustainable conditions of economic development.