ISLAMABAD: While 64 per cent of Pakistanis are below 30 years of age, less than two per cent of young people are active members of community groups or other local organisations, the speal(ers at conference titled `Youth Civic Engagement` said on Wednesday.

It was stressed that it is important to tap into the potential of this youth bulge by bringing young people in the mainstream and strengthening their role in community activities and decision-making.

The first International Youth Day Conference is being held at Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) and is being hosted by the Young Parliamentarian Forum and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Speakers, including parliamentarians, called upon the young people at the conference to develop a proactive approach towards government programmes aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship.

On the other hand, a number of young speakers called upon the government to introduce programmes related to volunteerism in the country such as girl guides and boy scouts.

National Assembly Spealcer Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said young people should engage in civic activities and serve as volunteers to bring societal change. `You must invest your time in studies as well as at the playground so that a spirit of sportsmanship develops,` he said.

The speakers at the conference lauded the achievements of young Pakistanis in fields such as education, sports, science or information technology.

Those recognised included Arfa Kareem Randhawa who became the youngest Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Haroon Tariq who secured 47 As in O levels this year to set a new world record, fastest woman of South Asia Naseem Hameed and Sameena Baig the first Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest.

Meanwhile, UNDP Country Director Marc-André Franche said it was imperative to change the situation on the ground and actively engage Pakistan`s young people.

`This will only be possible by investing in youth, particularly by increasing their active civic engagement in socioeconomic and political af fairs,` he added.

`This places immense responsibility in the hands of legislators, policymakers, development practitioners, and other stakeholders to provide young people with a real chance to become part of Pakistan`s socio-political sphere,` he said.

Mr Franche that UNDP hopes to change the way youth are thought of, in the country -not as a problem to be solved, but as apotentialto be realised.

The minister for Inter Provincial Coordination and Youth Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada said young people must strive to spread the message of tolerance and diversity of religion and ethnicity in society.

`There is a need to promote a culture of tolerance in all respect across the party lines to formulate a progressive and peaceful nation,` the minister said.

MNA from the PML-N Shaza Fatimah Khawaja, who is the youngest MNA in the country`s history and the general secretary for Young Parliamentarians Forum (YPF) in her welcome, lauded the seasoned parliamentarians for mentoring the YPF. `Such guidance will help us to work in unison to create more opportunities and streamline our defining role as Pakistanis,` she added.