“SCO Summer” Gala Week offers endless opportunities for Pakistani youth

BEIJING, Jul 30 (DNA): “The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) offers immense opportunities to young people in Pakistan, where people aged 18-35 make up a significant proportion of the population. 

It will help the country fully tap its youth dividend,” said Dr. Awais Zafar, an official of Pakistani Embassy in China at the opening ceremony of the “SCO Summer” Youth Gala Week held in Jiaozhou, Qingdao City, China.

He told Gwadar Pro reporter, “The event is very well organized and makes us feel the friendliness and hospitality of Chinese organizers. It enhances friendship among SCO countries, strengthens the contacts and exchanges between the youth groups of Pakistan and other member countries, and provides them with learning opportunities.”

On the occasion, Logvinov Grigory, Deputy Secretary General of SCO maintained that, “with more than 800 million young people in the SCO member countries, the active development of multi-faceted youth work is a high priority on the SCO agenda. 

Benefiting from the rich cultural, historical and economic diversity of the SCO members, our ability to infuse young people with knowledge, to impart communication skills and to cooperate on the basis of consensus and mutual respect is the basis for interaction among the SCO member states.”

Feng Litao, Deputy Director of the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, underlined, “We are ready to work with other SCO member states to focus on, train and serve youth, build a broader platform for people-to-people exchanges and cooperation among SCO youth, and build a closer SCO cultural and people-to-people community.”

As one of the highlights, the complete Collection of the World Heritage of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was officially published at the launching ceremony.

The China-SCO Cultural Cooperation Projects Information Resources Base was officially released and a signing ceremony was held.

On the same day, “My Homeland” – SCO Youth International Photography exhibition was launched. What’s more, youth representatives jointly launched the “SCO Countries Youth Makers’ Camp” initiative, advocating the youth of SCO countries to join the Makers’ Camp and contribute to the common development of SCO countries.

The gala week will last until August 6. During the period, a series of “SCO Summer” activities will be held, such as “SCO Summer” Carnival, Round-the-Lake Race and the First “SCO Summer” Youth OP Sailing Tournament.

Dr. Sami Iqbal, a Research Fellow of Southeast University, China and Co-founder and CEO of Enfiniti Innovate Technology Development Co., Ltd., Nanjing, hopes that more similar activities can provide a platform of communication. 

Here he met outstanding young people from Nepal, Uzbekistan and other SCO member countries and drew inspiration from them. “I fully enjoy the entrepreneurial atmosphere in China. SCO provides great possibilities for Pakistan, and I would like to share what I have learned in China with Pakistan”, he said.