A two-day training workshop on "Youth Capacity Building" in commemoration of the "Decade of CPEC and BRI" was organized by the CPEC Study Centre at the University of Gwadar on July 7th and 8th, 2023.

Dr. Nazeer Hussain, the former Dean of Social Sciences at Quaid-i-Azam University; Ms. Reema Shaukat of the Institu2te of Regional Studies; and Dr. Salma Malik, Associate Professor at the Department of Defense and Strategic Studies, were the resource persons for the workshop.

The Registrar of the University of Gwadar, Mr. Dolat Khan, welcomed the guests and participants and highlighted the importance of the workshop on the first day. He thanked Dr. Nazeer Hussain and his team for their time and devotion to the workshop as resource people. Dr. Nazeer Hussian formally started the first session of the workshop by shedding light on the geopolitics of Balochistan and its importance in regional and global politics. He highlighted the importance of Gwadar in terms of regional connectivity and said that the definition of geopolitics in today’s world is getting closer to the oceans and maritime other than the traditional land territory. He urged the participants to understand the geo-strategic importance of Gwadar and CPEC and play a passionate role in its socio-economic development. Dr. Salma Malik talked about the rich economic resources of Balochistan and presented ways to capitalize on them. Ms. Reema Shaukat identified and talked about the opportunities for youth capacity building in today’s world of digitalization. She also identified opportunities for the youth of Gwadar on the platform of CPEC.

The Chief Guest for the second day of the workshop was the Director General Gwadar Development Authority (GDA), Mr. Mujeeb Qambarani. Pro Vice Chancellor and Director of CPEC Study Centre, University of Gwadar, Dr. Syed Manzoor Ahmed, welcomed once again the speakers and participants of the workshop. Dr. Manzoor Ahmed, in his opening remarks, threw light on the historical development of the decade of CPEC and BRI. He said that the CPEC has undoubtedly changed the regional connectivity of this region to a great extent and emphasized the need for the youth to point out their weaknesses and try their best to meet the global requirements for competition. Director General Gwadar Development Authority Mujeeb ur Rehman Qambarani, in his speech to the participants, discussed the role of the provincial government and the Gwadar Development Authority in the development of Gwadar City. He appreciated the efforts of the CPEC Study Centre in organizing such a successful event and assured that GDA will fully support the university and its center in arranging such workshops in the future. At the end of the second session, the Pro Vice-Chancellor University of Gwadar and DG GDA distributed commemorative souvenirs of the university to the distinguished guests and certificates to the participants on behalf of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Gwadar Prof. Dr Abdul Razzaq Sabir.

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