In the recent report by UNDP on Pakistan’s National Human Development, it was stated that more than 29% of the country’s population consists of young people between the ages of 15-29 years, who live in an environment of multidimensional and intersectional vulnerabilities. According to the report, Pakistan’s ‘youth bulge’ offers unique opportunities for the country’s social and economic uplift.
Therefore, keeping the findings in mind PepsiCo Pakistan and the United Nations Development Program in Pakistan (UNDP) have recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that provides a framework of cooperation and facilitates and strengthens collaboration between the two in order to assist young people into the workforce. The MoU was signed by Krista Pilot, PepsiCo Vice President Corporate Affairs for Asia, Middle East and North Africa (AMENA) and Ignacio Artaza, UNDP Country Director.
With this PepsiCo and UNDP aim to facilitate opportunities for young people to develop desirable job skills, such as communication, teamwork, time-management and leadership, that will increase their potential for successful employment. PepsiCo is to work with the UNDP to ensure program participants will include youth from the areas of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The initial investment by PepsiCo is to enable the Amal Academy, a Lahore-based NGO, to conduct a pilot skills development program with 1,000 young adults from these priority provinces in 2019. The local university campuses will facilitate the program through weekend classes that will be run over a three-month period.
