Youth Co: Lab dialogue on issues young people face
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The Youth Co: Lab National Youth Dialogue 2024, an important event aimed at encouraging leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship among Sri Lanka’s youth, brought together more than 100 young leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and innovators in Colombo. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka organised this event to address issues young people face, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship.
The event, on the theme ‘Leadership | Innovation | Entrepreneurship,’ provided a forum for discussion about removing obstacles that prevent young people from participating in startup ecosystems and governance. With a focus on enabling young entrepreneurs to take the initiative in addressing domestic and international issues, participants also examined tactics for fostering resilience and sustainable development.
Officer-in- Charge of UNDP in Sri Lanka Malin Herwig stressed the need to equip the youth with the skills and opportunities to become leaders of change. “Youth Co: Lab is building a generation capable of addressing pressing challenges,” she said.
The occasion also served as the culmination of a number of significant initiatives, including the revamping of the National Youth Corps (NYC) Life Skills curriculum, which yearly assists more than 10,000 young people. In addition, 58 youth centres worldwide have trained more than 200 life skills instructors to promote juvenile development. The continued success of UNDP’s premier social innovation platform, HackaDev, was also emphasised, proving the value of teamwork in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.
Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri emphasised the need for collaboration between government, the private sector, and civil society to empower youth. “True youth empowerment demands a collective effort,” he said.
The occasion emphasised how important it is to provide inclusive opportunities so that youth can take the lead in creating a sustainable future. Problems like the high rate of youth unemployment and the growing effects of climate change continue to be major obstacles to the 5.125 million young people in Sri Lanka.
Youth Co: Lab, a regional initiative co-led by UNDP and the Citi Foundation, continues to be a vital platform for empowering youth across Asia and the Pacific.
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