KARACHI: Young people from some of Karachi’s most troubled neighbourhoods came together to celebrate International Youth Day as part of a project led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to train them in employable skills and offer opportunities to achieve financial independence. On this occasion, UNDP Pakistan collaborated with the Memon Industrial & Technical Institute and Technical Vocational Education and Training Institutes to showcase handmade dresses, bags and other goods. UNDP’s Youth Employment Project helps Karachi youth, both male and female, by empowering them to establish their own businesses at home and generate an income to support their families. At the event, these young people had the opportunity to network and showcase their work to prospective employers from garment companies, boutiques, fashion houses, NGOs, as well as representatives from the Government of Sindh. According to the National Human Development Report 2016, 31 percent of Pakistanis are between 15 and 29 years of age. Pakistan is thus in the midst of a ‘youth bulge’, possessing a large working age population with the potential to contribute to the country’s economic and social growth. Unfortunately, there is a serious lack of youth-focused planning and development, undermining the potential for growth. This is compounded by the volatile security situation, which leaves young people vulnerable to becoming involved in violence and conflict, both as victims and perpetrators. In response, UNDP initiated the US$3 million Youth Employment Project supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) which increases income and employment opportunities for Karachi youth. The initiative will train 13,760 young men and women in Lyari, Korangi, Sultanabad, and other deprived areas of Karachi, and aims for at least 70 percent of them secure full-time employment.