EU-Funded Initiative Strengthens Youth and Civil Society in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral
The head of Cooperation commended the remarkable resilience of communities and praised the role of AKRSP and other agencies of AKDN as an important partner in development.
Gilgit: Jeroen Willems, Head of Cooperation of the European Union to Pakistan, termed empowering young people and strengthening grassroots civil society as fundamental pillars for building a resilient and inclusive future. He was addressing the closing ceremony of the five-year European Union-funded project “Building Resilience of Civil Society and Youth to COVID-19 in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral”, held at a local hotel in Gilgit.
The initiative, implemented by the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) in partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP), was launched in 2021 in response to the widespread social and economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Operating across six districts of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, the project focused on enhancing social resilience, supporting economic recovery, and empowering youth through integrated, community-driven interventions.
The head of Cooperation commended the remarkable resilience of communities and praised the role of AKRSP and other agencies of AKDN as an important partner in development. He reaffirmed the European Union’s long-term commitment to working with local partners to empower youth and reinforce civil society institutions as central components of sustainable development.
Representing the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan, Nazir Ahmed Advocate, Speaker of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly, lauded the project’s grassroots-focused approach. He emphasised the importance of sustaining such initiatives to deepen youth engagement, promote inclusive economic growth, and strengthen civil society at the local level. He also highlighted AKRSP’s longstanding role in the region since its establishment in 1982.
The ceremony featured an exhibition that showcased the work of microenterprises, youth-led initiatives, and civil society organisations as part of the two-days Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral Youth Convention that brought 150 delegates from the project districts. From women-led startups and vocational training graduates to digital service providers and community-based organisations, the exhibition illustrated the wide-ranging impact of the initiative. The event also included an experience-sharing session in which beneficiaries—including civil society representatives, gender pair facilitators, microentrepreneurs, and digitally trained youth—spoke about how the project had transformed their lives. Their stories reflected increased community engagement, improved income-generating opportunities, enhanced gender awareness, and greater resilience in the face of crises.
Mr. Akhtar Iqbal, CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation, praised the initiative’s transformative outcomes and highlighted the importance of collaboration in building resilient and inclusive communities. Mr. Jamil Uddin, General Manager/CEO of AKRSP, expressed his gratitude to the European Union for its vision and support. He reaffirmed AKRSP’s commitment to working with government stakeholders and local communities to build a future defined by opportunity and inclusion.
Sharing the project’s accomplishments, Project Manager Aejaz Karim noted that more than 80,000 individuals directly benefited from the initiative. Over the course of five years, 12 new Local Support Organisations were formed in previously underserved Union Councils, while 57 existing civil society organisations received targeted capacity building to improve community mobilisation and service delivery. The project delivered psychosocial support, gender sensitisation, and basic life skills education to more than 7,000 individuals, contributing to social wellbeing and greater community resilience.
To address economic disruptions, the project supported 270 micro and small enterprises through financial grants and business development training. An additional 163 enterprises were oriented on quality standards and certification processes to enhance their competitiveness. Over 620 young people received vocational training in fields such as hospitality, solar PV systems, fashion design, Early Childhood Development, and digital skills, and were equipped with starter toolkits to facilitate their entry into the workforce.
In addition, nine Youth IT Hubs were established across the project districts, offering young people access to digital tools, internet connectivity, and employment resources. Life skills education was delivered to 240 trained youth facilitators, who in turn reached over 4,500 peers with sessions on resilience, decision-making, and communication. The project also awarded 200 innovation grants to young individuals, youth-led groups, and local organisations to implement creative, community-based development projects.
The event concluded with a strong sense of shared purpose among all stakeholders, who expressed their commitment to sustaining and scaling the gains made under this initiative.
