Young people of different backgrounds participated in a series of consultation meetings organized by UNFPA Tajikistan in the capital Dushanbe and two regional centers, Khujand and Kulob, to hear their views and aspirations for the future of their country and feed these into the global process of defining a development agenda for the time after the expiration of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015.

The students, school children, young migrants and opinion leaders attending the meetings discussed a range of issues related to promoting democracy and sustainable development, such critical thinking, e-governance, education, health, parenthood, inter-generational relations, and globalization.

“We as young people are already working equally with adults in different spheres, including health and education, governance and social protection. Therefore participation of young people in this process is crucial,” said Rustam Gulov, a youth activist and blogger from Khujand.

He added that the discussion, in particular on recommendations for improving the education sector, gave him a clear vision for educational system he would like to see in the future.

Gulshan Nekqadamova, one of the participants from Khorog, expressed the hope that such events would be conducted regularly in the future: “It helps to unite young people for participation in the county’s development. I’m proud we were given a chance to contribute to the future of the country.”

Tajikistan is among the countries were national consultations on the post-2015 development agenda are taking place. UNFPA has been leading the consultations with the country’s youth.

Several hundred young people actively participated in the events or contributed online. Thousands more have learned about the process through social media and other platforms.

Contributor: Parviz Boboev, UNFPA Tajikistan