PARIS (Web Desk) - Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday attended the "Change the Game!" Ministerial Forum at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
The minister, who is in Paris to attend the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics, visited the UNESCO headquarters where he represented Pakistan.
He participated in the discussion focused on ‘Leveraging Quality Physical Education & Sport for Sustainable Social Legacies.’
He appreciated UNESCO for organizing this high-level forum in the run-up to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
He added that, “mega sports events, like Olympics, act as a unifying force in bringing together the entire world in healthy competition – where all of us are winners. “
The minister said that Pakistan is a country of 240 million people and two-thirds of the population is below the age of 24 – making Pakistan one of the youngest countries in the world.
He said that keeping this in view, the PM launched a special initiative, called “Prime Minister’s Youth Programme”, to engage, educate, and empower youth.
He apprised all that under this Programme, a ‘Youth Talent Hunt Programme’ was being organized across Pakistan for 12 different games to shortlist future athletes and to impart social values that would be an asset for them for life.
Also, he said that a national conference was also organized on ‘Revival of Sports’ to foster a merit-based culture within sports to ensure that young athletes are selected, trained, and promoted based on their talent and hard work.
The minister said physical education and sports provide productive pathways for individuals as well as societies to build resilience and skills, such as leadership, communication, team-building, and critical thinking.