Multan, June 12, 2026 – Nearly 200 young people from South Punjab convened in Multan from 4 to 11 June to deliberate on the climate, governance and development challenges facing their communities and to build the skills and knowledge needed to engage with the institutions responsible for addressing them. Participants from District Youth Assemblies in Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Jhang, and Kot Addu engaged with elected representatives, disaster management experts and government officials, debated policy in parliamentary-style sessions, and passed resolutions calling for stronger youth inclusion in local governance.
The sessions are part of the three-year action “Rising Leaders: Youth in Climate Leadership & Governance,” co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) and the Social Youth Council of Patriots (SYCOP). The action seeks to strengthen youth participation in democratic governance and climate action in South Punjab by equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and platforms needed to engage meaningfully in policy and development processes. With Punjab expecting its first local government elections in nearly a decade, the initiative arrives at a critical institutional moment, one that young people in South Punjab are now being equipped to seize.
About the Action
With a total budget of approximately EUR 1 million, this EU-supported action is designed to give young people formal, sustainable platforms to engage with the institutions that govern their lives — from the union council to the federal level. The action directly upskills more than 600 young people — District Youth Assembly members, local government youth councillors, and representatives of youth-led civil society organisations — equipping them with the skills to understand policy processes, advocate for their communities, and lead climate action on the ground in their districts. Youth-led CSOs will also receive micro-grants to implement climate action projects in their districts. Beyond capacity-building, the action is designed to have impact at scale — creating structures through which young people can engage with government at district, provincial and national levels — long after the project concludes. Lastly, Annual National Youth Summits will bring together youth leaders from across Pakistan to co-create Strategic Action Plans on climate and governance and present them to national policymakers.
This investment is particularly urgent in South Punjab, where Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Jhang and Kot Addu face some of Pakistan’s most acute overlapping crises. According to Punjab’s Climate Change Policy (2024), Muzaffargarh, Layyah and Jhang are among the districts at very high risk of flooding, while Muzaffargarh also faces a high risk of drought. Kot Addu, which was part of Muzaffargarh district at the time of the report, falls within the same high-risk zone. These climate vulnerabilities sit on top of longstanding development deficits — the UN’s South Punjab Deep Dive Report (2022) identifies these districts as experiencing significantly higher levels of poverty and limited access to basic services compared to the rest of Punjab. Meanwhile, Pakistan ranks 162 out of 183 countries in Political and Civic Participation in the Commonwealth Youth Development Index (2023), reflecting the severe underrepresentation of youth in governance structures.
District Youth Assemblies
Each of the four DYAs — comprising 50 members each — participated in a two-day programme combining civic education, parliamentary-style debate, expert dialogue, and digital skills training.
Sessions opened with oath-taking ceremonies and inaugural addresses by senior government officials, including Mr. Sarfraz Ahmed, Special Secretary Higher Education South Punjab, Mr. Tanveer Jhandeer, Additional Secretary Irrigation South Punjab, and Dr. Ali Mehdi, Director General Health Services South Punjab. They stressed that young people have a critical role to play in strengthening democratic governance and community resilience, encouraging participants to embrace volunteerism, promote tolerance, and take an active role in addressing local challenges.
“Student unions once served as nurseries for future leaders — platforms like the District Youth Assembly are a welcome step towards filling that space, particularly for the youth of South Punjab,” Mr. Sarfraz Ahmed said.
The first day focused on understanding the challenges facing participants’ districts. Interactive discussions on the topic “How Is Climate Change Affecting Your District?” featured policymakers and disaster management experts. Addressing the participants, Mr. Muhammad Ajmal Khan Chandia, MPA and Parliamentary Secretary for Higher Education, emphasized the important role young people can play in addressing climate and disaster-related challenges. He noted, “Young people must play an active role in environmental protection, tree plantation, efficient water management, and disaster preparedness. Their engagement today will help reduce future risks and strengthen the resilience of our communities.”
Drawing on their practical experiences, Mr. Irfan Sial, Coordinator District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Muzaffargarh, and Mr. Karamat Ali, Coordinator DDMA Layyah, shared their expertise on early warning systems, flood emergency response, riverine flooding risks, and long-term adaptation measures. Young participants shared first-hand experiences of climate impacts in their districts and proposed solutions including the management of flood flows through protective bunds.
Participants also engaged with the structure of Pakistan’s democratic institutions — the roles of the legislature, executive and judiciary, and the different tiers of government through which decisions affecting their communities are made.
The second day focused on practical action, with participants receiving training on how to engage with government as citizens and as young leaders — including how to file Right to Information (RTI) requests, engage with Standing Committees, and contest or participate in local government elections. The sessions made clear that democratic participation does not begin and end at the ballot box, and that young people have concrete mechanisms to hold institutions accountable and advocate for their communities.
Participants also built digital skills through an interactive digital storytelling workshop conducted by Ms. Wardah Noor, Founder and CEO of Xwave, focused on documenting and communicating the impact of climate change through social and digital media. Participants were also made aware of digital hazards including misinformation, disinformation and hate speech.
At the end of each day, participants conducted parliamentary-style debates and formal voting exercises. They passed two resolutions: “This House believes that climate change is the greatest challenge facing young people in our district,” and “This House urges the Government of Punjab to establish youth councils at the union council level with a formal mandate to monitor and report on local climate and development issues.” Notably, the Layyah DYA amended the first motion to recognize climate change as one of several critical challenges, while the Muzaffargarh DYA amended the second resolution to mandate 50% female participation in the proposed youth councils, and Kot Addu DYA voted to empower the youth councils with dedicated budget and limited decision-making powers. These deliberations gave participants direct exposure to parliamentary processes while strengthening their ability to analyse policy issues, engage in evidence-based debate and articulate collective recommendations.
For many participants, especially young women, the sessions represented the first opportunity to participate in discussions on local governance and climate-related challenges affecting their communities. Among them was Shehar Bano, a member of the Jhang District Youth Assembly, who took part in the sessions soon after becoming a mother, accompanied by her newborn. Shehar Bano shared: “As a new mother, if I can come forward and participate in sessions and platforms like these, then I want all the young women from my district to do the same. Women need to come forward, join these platforms, and become the voice of other women – because if we do not speak up, then who will?”
Remarks by the European Union
Addressing participants, Mr. Jeroen Willems, Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Pakistan, emphasized that young people in South Punjab are among those most affected by climate change and should be empowered as stakeholders in shaping responses to climate and governance challenges. He noted that the European Union’s support for the initiative reflects its commitment to strengthening inclusive, participatory governance in Pakistan.
Mr. Willems emphasized: “This action’s strength lies in bringing youth and government together as partners, not adversaries. This reflects a core EU principle: inclusive, participatory governance delivers better outcomes. When youth, civil society and public institutions work together, policies become more relevant and services more responsive and accountable.”
Looking Ahead
The District Youth Assemblies represent the first step in a broader effort to strengthen Pakistani youth’s participation in democratic governance and climate action. Over the next three years, the young people who form the DYAs will go on to sit across the table from provincial government departments, present policy recommendations, and push for institutional commitments on climate and governance. Local government youth councillors will be organized into formal Youth Councillor Networks, through which they will conduct structured advocacy and work to embed youth priorities into local government from within. Annual National Youth Summits will bring together youth leaders from across Pakistan to co-create Strategic Action Plans and engage federal policymakers. Youth-led CSOs will pilot climate adaptation projects in their communities.
Through sustained investment in youth leadership and civic engagement at district, provincial and national levels, the action aims to create lasting change in how young people across Pakistan participate in governance and climate policy processes.