Pakistani girl to attend panel debate with Kofi Annan

[Naveed Yaseen]

A brilliant young, Pakistani girl, Meeran Khan, aged 18, selected among five other youngsters from other parts of the world will attend a panel debate with former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, at the 39th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland today (Thursday).

The six young panel members at the WEF included the names of Meeran Khan aged 18 from Pakistan, James Chatepa aged 16 from Malawi, Charlie Young aged 16 from the UK, Sarah Nkhoma aged 19 from Malawi, Ohm Gore aged 19 from the USA, and Elsabe van Vuuren aged 17 from Namibia.

As part of the British Council’s pioneering initiative, Global Change makers, the youngsters would represent the voice of their generation in a major panel debate today (Thursday) where they will share the floor with Kofi Annan, the President of the Global Humanitarian Forum, Geneva and former secretary general of the United Nations.

On the panel ‘Shaping the Post-Crisis World: Views from the Next Generation” they will discuss the challenges that their communities facing on issues such as climate change, education, intercultural conflict and poverty.

Last week, sixty Global Change makers from more than thirty countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Burma, met in Guildford, UK, for a week of intensive workshops to shape their call of action to world leaders at the World Economic Forum. Following a democratic selection process, the Change makers elected six of their peers who will now take their message to the highest level at Davos.

These Global Change makers are young people aged between 16 and 19, who are active in their communities working on projects ranging from community work and environmental campaigns to education initiatives and political engagement.

Upon their return to their home countries, they will continue to be supported by the British Council in the community action projects and they will work on with their peers.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=159720