German Ambassador at Youth Speak Forum held at NUST

Islamabad (Pakistan Point News - 22nd October, 2018) NUST Placement Office, in collaboration with International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Sciences (AIESEC)-Islamabad Chapter, organised a Youth Speak Forum here on Saturday. The forum was arranged with a view to raising awareness among youth regarding the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). German Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr Martin Kobler was the keynote speaker at the event, who talked at length about the impacts of climate change and the need for tapping the renewable sources of energy.

He cited the example of Germany where 38% industries and 90% domestic consumption is on renewable energy. In contrast, Pakistan has only 1600MW generation through renewable resources. He emphasised upon youth to engage themselves in producing energy-efficient products within Pakistan and have confidence in their own capabilities instead of relying on others. He also emphasized greater investment in education, Research and Development for country’s advancement. Welcoming the ambassador, Dr Nassar Ikram, NUST Pro-Rector for Research, Innovation and Commercialisation, highlighted the significance of SDGs and stated that Universities are uniquely positioned for multi-sectoral implementation of SDGs as well as advancing these in the society.

He further stated that NUST is fully committed to SDGs and is transforming itself to become an SDG-engaged University and all of its activities have been mapped in line with individual SDGs for defining further transformational stages. He appreciated the initiative taken by AIESEC Islamabad Chapter in arranging the event, that was largely attended by delegates from the industry and other universities. During the event, Mr Saeed Ajmal, ex cricketer had an interactive session with students on the theme of reducing inequalities and how far cricket was instrumental in addressing the issue. Mr Eva Zu Beck from Poland, who has worked in the European Parliament in Brussels and currently is travelling across different cities of Pakistan, shared her experience being in the Northern Pakistan and accentuated the exigencies of anti-littering efforts to secure full blessings of Mother Nature. Mr Affan Javed from British Council dilated upon how we can use innovation to achieve SDGs. Other speakers, including Mr Haroon Yasin, Founder of Orenda, and Syed Muzamil Hasan Zaidi, Digital consultant and Analyst, deliver their talks on the importance of quality education and digital hygiene, respectively.