Islamabad: Pakistan stands at a critical juncture in its demographic transition, offering an opportunity to leverage its large youth population for national development, said Dr. Luay Shabaneh, UNFPA Country Representative, at the inaugural session of the two-day National Data for Development (D4D) Symposium 2025 in Islamabad. The symposium, organized by UNFPA in partnership with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and supported by the Government of the Netherlands, focused on using data to drive development policy and youth empowerment. Dr. Shabaneh highlighted that data reflects not just numbers but the dignity, accountability, and realities of citizens, emphasizing the Youth Development Index (YDI) as a tool to uncover both national averages and hidden disparities across health, education, employment, civic participation, peace, and security.Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme, said the YDI provides a robust evidence base for designing and evaluating youth-focused policies at federal, provincial, and district levels. He stressed that with a majority youth population, the Index should serve as a strategic instrument for policy reform, institutional strengthening, and long-term youth empowerment.
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