Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi successfully concluded the first module of a Faculty Development Program titled “Advancing Social Entrepreneurship in Agriculture for Sustainable Peace Building,” held from May 7 to 16, 2026 in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The module brought together university faculty, researchers and trainers to strengthen approaches to social entrepreneurship in agriculture and community engagement across Pakistan.
Ms. Wajiha Qamar, Minister of State for Federal Education & Professional Training and chief guest at the closing ceremony, praised the integration of technical education, agricultural innovation and social entrepreneurship as a pathway to sustainable employment for youth. She underlined that the government is taking practical steps to equip young people with modern technical and entrepreneurial skills and stressed that collaboration among educational institutions, industry and international organisations is essential for long-term peace and development.
Guest of honour Dr. Ahmad Khawar Shahzad, DCO Punjab Center of Excellence on CVE, noted that sustainable peace building cannot be achieved without economic and intellectual empowerment of communities. He said faculty development initiatives like this one give educators modern knowledge and practical tools to inspire students as agents of positive social change through social entrepreneurship.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Qamar-uz-Zaman emphasised that agriculture remains the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and that social entrepreneurship can open meaningful opportunities for youth and rural communities. He called on universities to contribute actively to innovation, research and community outreach so that educational programmes translate into real social impact and peace building at the grassroots.
The Vice Chancellor expressed special thanks to Prof. Syed Hussain Haider, Senior Legal Expert at UNODC, and Syed Arsalan Shah, Advisor UNODC, for their collaboration and commitment in organising the Faculty Development Program. Their involvement, he noted, helped ensure the training combined legal, technical and entrepreneurial perspectives relevant to Pakistan’s agricultural sector.
The programme aimed to enhance faculty capacities, promote social entrepreneurship in agriculture, empower young people and present practical strategies for sustainable peace building. Participants appreciated the mix of lectures and practical sessions, reporting that the training delivered valuable insights into social entrepreneurship models, community engagement, agricultural development and scalable approaches to peace building.
