PM attends inaugural NCD Youth Summit
PORT MORESBY, 13th AUGUST 2024: PRIME Minister Hon. James Marape has congratulated the National Capital District Governor Hon. Powes Parkop for initiating and hosting the first ever NCD Youth Summit and Expo 2024 at APEC Haus yesterday.
He was invited to officially open the three-day summit from August 12-14.
The Prime Minister appreciated Governor Parkop for his strong leadership, adding he was always proactive in making things happen and thanked him for making this event possible, coinciding with International Youth Day.
The Prime Minister said they look forward to coming and linking up with Governor Parkop and the programs NCDC is doing for youths as NCD has the biggest number of youths who come to the city to look for opportunities.
He urged the 200 young participants to come up with practical and workable solutions in their discussions and to work with City Hall and Governor Parkop.
He also announced that he was looking forward to attending the closing of the summit on Wednesday August 14 to know what recommendations they will come up with.
Governor Parkop thanked Prime Minster Marape for his presence, adding the summit was a long outstanding conversation and dialogue which should have been held a long time ago.
“I am pleased you have made time to be a part of this initiative,” he told the prime minister.
He said the purpose of organizing the summit was to have a dialogue with young people to know their potential, ideas and energy in order to help them to define their life and same time, importantly to save their future as well.
“Basically this is to remind everyone about the significant role and potential young people have that can be harnessed and recognized to shape their own life now and into the future as well,” Governor Parkop said.
He added young people can bring fresh perspective, enthusiasm, resilience and they can bring a lot of innovation and energy and it is up to provincial governors to create a dialogue with them to know their potential.
He hopes the three-day summit will see constructive dialogues being achieved to help NCDC, his office, development partners and the young people identify what is being done and how things can be done better to help the youths.
UN Resident Coordinator, Richard Howard thanked the Governor for ensuring that the summit was staged on International Youth Day and commended the organizers for putting the program together.
He told the young people that they will be discussing challenges and solutions, adding the only people that can help solve the challenges are the youths themselves.
He emphasized that their ideas and initiatives that will emerge from the summit are essential to the country’s progress in development, therefore must never underestimate how important their ideas are.