ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: The Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) in collaboration with the National Assembly of Pakistan and National Dialogue Forum (NDF) organized a roundtable dialogue: “Parliamentary Diplomacy as a Tool of Strengthening Democratic Institutions,”in the National Assembly of Pakistan on 23rd November 2022.
Member of the National Assembly (MNA), Syed Ali Musa Gillani, President of the Young Parliamentary Forum (YPF) said that keeping in context the substantial young population, YPF has become an effective tool to further the cause of strengthening democratic norms in the country. He also said that YPF has become a platform where young Parliamentarians can legislate especially for youth and it can be an effective tool to strengthen democratic institutions.
Dr. Steffen Kudella, Resident Representative, HSF Pakistan office said that HSF supports parliamentary work worldwide, through administrative modernization, political dialogue, and good governance among other important areas. He hoped that the planned sessions, as part of this event, on parliamentary cooperation on climate change and adaptation, social media misinformation and fake news, legislative capacity building, and common challenges and opportunities faced by young parliamentarians in South Asia and Europe, would be interesting for the participants to have an in-depth and interactive discussion on.
Syed Shamoon Hashmi, Additional Secretary, National Assembly briefed the participants regarding the goals of YPF and its importance to support legislative initiatives in Parliament. He also briefed the participants regarding the need of developing tangible goals for YPF.
Sheharyar Khan, Executive Director NDF said that the YPF serves as a forum for lawmakers to interact with one another, and deepen their understanding of and contribution to the operations of the Parliament. It serves as a platform for young legislators to interact with Pakistan’s youth and use Parliament to address their needs.
