KARACHI: Pakistan’s first International Youth Conference & Festival (IYCF) kicked off in Islamabad on Monday.

The event, which concludes on December 9, seeks to bring together 300 Pakistani and international delegates to ‘inspire, encourage and empower the youth. ‘

Organised by Miradore Productions and social movement Khudi Pakistan, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, UNFPA, Google and Youtube, participants will discuss and debate the themes of social activism, bridging cultural divides, rights of minorities and disaster management..

The conference will provide a platform for the youth to interact and debate with national and international participants, encouraging them to work towards positive change and to challenge the stereotypes that are often put across in the international media.

Along with a talk by Qamar Zaman Kaira, the minister for information and broadcasting, the event will include several renowned speakers such as Steve Grove (head of news and politics for YouTube), Marc Koska (inventor of the disposable syringe), Susan Gordon (Facebook Causes), Peter Nicholson (former UN investigator) and Jay Boren (Google), among others.

“We hope that this event will become an annual feature so that it can contribute to the process of reinvigorating Pakistan both at home and abroad as an aspiring democratic country striving to advance itself against all odds. Where better to start than with 62 per cent of Pakistan’s population – the youth!” said Maajid Nawaz, founder of Khudi.