Islamabad, 30 March 2022: UNDP and Jazz concluded their national SDG Bootcamp competition for social enterprises today. Ten start-ups participated in the competition, who had won the provincial and thematic bootcamps. The start-ups, of which five were women-led, focused on at least 15 different SDGs.

Aimed at promoting social entrepreneurship and strengthening the startup ecosystem in the country, the bootcamps have trained, mentored, and educated 201 social enterprises nationwide. 

Ms. Laura Sheridan, Programme Manager of UNDP’s Youth Empowerment Programme, said at the occasion, “UNDP believes that by developing young people’s 21st century skills, and by catalysing and sustaining youth-led startups and social enterprises here in Pakistan, we can jointly position young people front and center to solve the country’s most pressing challenges. Together with Jazz, we have provided entrepreneurial skills and supported our participants to develop business plans for sustainability and scalability of their social enterprises.”

Syed Ali Naseer, Chief Business Officer Jazz, said, “Over 60% of Pakistan’s population comprises of youth hence, to achieve any socioeconomic agenda the youth can play an instrumental role. The SDG Bootcamps is a great step to help achieve the SDG Agenda for Pakistan. Jazz is committed to social entrepreneurship and with this partnership with United Nations Development Program to empower and inspire young entrepreneurs with skillsets to launch startups that will drive socioeconomic growth in Pakistan.”

Bechlo.pk, the winner of the national bootcamp will be provided with an opportunity to join Youth Co:Lab: the largest youth Social Entrepreneurship movement in Asia and the Pacific along with access to mentorship opportunities and exclusive digital giveaways by Jazz. Bechlo.pk is a fully integrated online multi-vendor store that provides women with a platform to sell new and pre-loved items from the comfort of their home.

These bootcamps are a part of the agreement inked between UNDP and Jazz in December 2020. The program comprised of two cohorts leading to a national bootcamp. The aim is to promote promising social ventures that are addressing the country's developmental challenges, with the launch of the next round of cohorts to be announced within the next few months.

For additional information, please contact Ayesha Babar at ayesha.babar@undp.org  or +92 (51) 835 5650

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