ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication of Pakistan on Thursday hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) virtual conference on Youth Empowerment through Digital Economy.
Delegates from the eight member countries of SCO, including China, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Russia, and Uzbekistan, along with the SCO Secretariat, participated in the conference.
Public and private sector representatives across SCO countries, including senior leadership from the Pakistan Software Houses Association, also attended the conference.
The objective of the event was to provide SCO nations with an opportunity to exchange best practices, knowledge, and lessons learned in building an enabling ecosystem for the inclusion of youth in the digital economy.
In his inaugural address, Federal Secretary IT & Telecom Hassan Nasir Jamy welcomed the participants and underlined Pakistan’s government’s multipronged strategy to digitally empower youth.
He said that the strategy included addressing the digital divide, stressing the need for IT education and skill development, and fostering digital entrepreneurship, freelancing, and innovation.
The federal secretary informed the participants about the government’s initiatives, including the establishment of 10,000 E-Rozgar centers across Pakistan to facilitate freelancers and a network of National Incubation Centers to nurture innovation through the startup ecosystem.
He also mentioned the recently established Pakistan Startup Fund, where the government will invest up to 2 billion rupees annually.
Pakistan’s Policies for Digital Environment
Regarding the digital environment, the secretary underlined different policies introduced by the government, such as the Pakistan Cloud First Policy 2022, the National Cyber Security Policy 2021, Computer Emergency Response Team Rules 2023, and the establishment of National and Sectoral CERTs.
SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming also addressed the participants and said that digital technology has the potential to enable youth entrepreneurship and lower barriers associated with it.
The participants commended the efforts of the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication for successfully organizing the conference.
