November 20, 2003	Thursday	Ramazan 24, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 19: A youth policy will soon be presented to the cabinet for approval, said the state minister for youth affairs, Rais Munir Ahmad, while speaking at the launching of a report, the youth connection, here on Wednesday. The report has been prepared by the Youth Help Line (YHL), a project of an NGO.

The minister said the total youth population of the country, which constitute 35 million cannot be neglected, and needed serious consideration both from the public and private organizations.

He said the prime minister had directed his ministry to devise a strategy for the youth at district level.

The executive director of Rozan, Maria Rashid, said, the YHL’s experience demonstrated the appropriateness of the intervention within the national context.

“The high rate of calls indicates that phone is an effective medium for reaching youth, particularly within a culture that does not recognize the need for emotional support in this period, especially one that inhibits open discussion about adolescent reproductive health issues,” she added.

Adolescence is also a time when chances of emotional imbalances and behavioural problems are very high. So, the need of emotional counselling to the youth on reproductive health issues is paramount, she added.

The UNFPA deputy representative, Karl Kulessa, informed the audience about the sexual and reproductive health projects that the UNFPA had been working in collaboration with several NGOs in the region in order to bring about a positive change in the overall environment.

He said, the UNFPA had allocated $2.5 million to make aware youth population of Pakistan about their issues so that they could be able to live a healthy life.