Kanwal Niazi, Assistant Programme Officer, Aurat Foundation, Islamabad head office, attended the South Asia Regional Youth Conference on Tobacco Control on 6th and 7th December 2024 at the Grand Cinnamon Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka, organized by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK).

It was a two day conference, attended by participants from Bangladesh and Pakistan. Participants from partner organizations included SPARC, CHROMATIC and Nari Maitree. The aim of the conference was to highlight why the voices of youth matter and to make them aware of the harmful effects of tobacco. Group activities were based on political power mapping and youth engagement strategies for digital and social media campaigns against tobacco.

A panel discussion was also held on building a support network for youth against tobacco and addressing all the tobacco issues through multiple lenses. All the members worked in groups for the development of youth leadership strategy - plan of action for the year 2025. To wrap up the conference, all the participants received a Certificate of Participation and shared their feedback about the conference.