President pledges to initiate ‘Gen Z Dialogue’ to empower youth

• Plans to establish youth centres at national, provincial, and district levels

By Yohan Perera

President Ranil Wickremesinghe pledged to initiate a modern dialogue,  which will be named the ‘Gen Z Dialogue,’ under which the ideologies of  new generations will be used to guide the administration of the nation.

“We will set up youth centres at the national, provincial, and district  levels, and will entrust the responsibility of initiating the Gen Z  Dialogue through the National Youth Council,” the President said while  addressing the national youth conference yesterday. 

“Sri Lanka’s future depends on today’s youth. We will help the Gen Z  generation become technology-savvy. We will also promote digital  marketing, freelance services, and create revenue-earning avenues  through the promotion of eCommerce.

Mr. Wickremesinghe pledged to increase youth representation in politics by setting up a youth Parliament office and enhancing the political knowledge of the youth.

“The JVP alleges that nothing has been done for the youth over the last  75 years. However, it was I who initiated the youth council, which  created livelihoods for many young people,” he added.

“I said during the campaign of General Election 2020 that Sri Lanka is on the edge of a major economic crisis. I said that the economy would fall if we failed to collect $ billion. However, UNP was defeated that year despite my warning. No one voted for me during that election. However, I did not bow out of politics. I took over the government to save the nation. I did it to provide a future for the youth. We have to move along this journey. If not, we would be committing a crime,” he also said.