Vision
Enable and Empower Youth for Change through Research for Sustainable Development | Challenge, Aspiration and Engagement
Mission
Enabling Youth as a catalyst for change and societal transformation for sustainable socio-economic development
· Developing Youth leadership through experiential learning, capacity building, advocacy, volunteerism and professional experiences.
· Improving quality of life of communities specifically youth, by campaigning and advocacy for the implementations of Laws and inclusive Policies
· Bridging the gap among Academia, Policy makers and Development practitioners with a global network of talented youth.
· Promoting peace, harmony and ensuring equality for humans (particularly Youth and Women)
· Developing Youth leadership through experiential learning, capacity building, advocacy, volunteerism and professional experiences.
· Improving quality of life of communities specifically youth, by campaigning and advocacy for the implementations of Laws and inclusive Policies
· Bridging the gap among Academia, Policy makers and Development practitioners with a global network of talented youth.
· Promoting peace, harmony and ensuring equality for humans (particularly Youth and Women)
Strategies
· Strengthen the Communities specifically youth was formed by a group of youth participants across Pakistan
· To enhance awareness and understanding of the marginalized community, especially youth about their rights, social issues
· To strengthen them through Capacity building, advocacy and lobbying
· To promote democratic good governance and protect human rights, with special focus on youth
· To develop strong professional relations with government line departments, local/national/international NGOs, and Donors
· To enhance awareness and understanding of the marginalized community, especially youth about their rights, social issues
· To strengthen them through Capacity building, advocacy and lobbying
· To promote democratic good governance and protect human rights, with special focus on youth
· To develop strong professional relations with government line departments, local/national/international NGOs, and Donors
Values
Integrity | Integrity in all our relationships, partnerships and business dealings, through honest, transparent and equitable interactions
Empowerment | in providing all our constituents with the space and the ability to be innovative and facilitate the implementation of new initiatives that will promote our mission and vision
Respect | Ensuring equity for all peoples of diverse backgrounds, realities and cultures; in learning to understand and respect one another; and in understanding that all of humanity is interdependent and depends on the natural environment
Team | Team is always at the heart of sustainable development, therefore, all of our volunteers, peers and mentors work together
Accountability | in ensuring responsible actions and behaviours, while being true to our values in all our relationships, policies and decisions
Empowerment | in providing all our constituents with the space and the ability to be innovative and facilitate the implementation of new initiatives that will promote our mission and vision
Respect | Ensuring equity for all peoples of diverse backgrounds, realities and cultures; in learning to understand and respect one another; and in understanding that all of humanity is interdependent and depends on the natural environment
Team | Team is always at the heart of sustainable development, therefore, all of our volunteers, peers and mentors work together
Accountability | in ensuring responsible actions and behaviours, while being true to our values in all our relationships, policies and decisions
Background
Developing countries face huge challenges in accessing up-to-date information about aid, development and humanitarian flows – information that they need to plan and manage those resources effectively. Similarly, citizens in developing countries and in donor countries lack the information they need to hold their governments to account for the use of those resources. Research 4 Sustainable Development (RSD) aims to address these challenges by making information about aid spending easier to access, use and understand.
RSD envisions building Young researchers as Youth in Development & leadership through Research base activities in field of Developmental Education; a process of building self-awareness and inspiring young people to understand/ engage with social issues so that they can initiate and lead citizenship action and bring about social change. As part of a burgeoning interest around the globe in the role of young researchers as leaders of social change, our youth work currently encompasses 400 Youth Associations across the country and 20 Youth Ambassadors in Africa, America, Asia. Globally, RSD team evaluate vulnerability and adaptation to societal and environmental changes. In our research projects we study the sensitivity and vulnerability of peoples, livelihoods and institutions to societal, economic and environmental changes and to see developments needs for aid harmonization and effectiveness. Main components of our youth programs are training, research on social action projects and building international linkages. So far, 2,000 youth have been given training.
Another feature of of this International Program is to strengthen voices of Youth for ensuring their prompt access to existing basic rights. It will sensitize and motivate relevant stakeholders for recognizing and upholding Youth Rights. WE had also executed similar program in collaboration with DFATD-Government of Canada to develop an innovative system which could guarantee protection and promotion of human rights for every citizen through a systematic and sustainable way.
RSD envisions building Young researchers as Youth in Development & leadership through Research base activities in field of Developmental Education; a process of building self-awareness and inspiring young people to understand/ engage with social issues so that they can initiate and lead citizenship action and bring about social change. As part of a burgeoning interest around the globe in the role of young researchers as leaders of social change, our youth work currently encompasses 400 Youth Associations across the country and 20 Youth Ambassadors in Africa, America, Asia. Globally, RSD team evaluate vulnerability and adaptation to societal and environmental changes. In our research projects we study the sensitivity and vulnerability of peoples, livelihoods and institutions to societal, economic and environmental changes and to see developments needs for aid harmonization and effectiveness. Main components of our youth programs are training, research on social action projects and building international linkages. So far, 2,000 youth have been given training.
Another feature of of this International Program is to strengthen voices of Youth for ensuring their prompt access to existing basic rights. It will sensitize and motivate relevant stakeholders for recognizing and upholding Youth Rights. WE had also executed similar program in collaboration with DFATD-Government of Canada to develop an innovative system which could guarantee protection and promotion of human rights for every citizen through a systematic and sustainable way.
Management and Leadership
“Creativity is beyond discovery, it’s something to invent further after it is found”
Mohsin Khan
Founder and CEO Research for Sustainable Development
Co-Founder & Executive Director Youth Advocacy Council Pakistan
Director Program Management and Youth Leadership Good Thinkers Organization For Human Development Pakistan
Mohsin Khan (Wazir), a social activist, writer, poet and development professional having ten years of diverse experience in program development, evaluation, research and advocacy with multilateral, governmental and non-for profit organizations in Pakistan, Korea and Afghanistan. In collaboration with international partners, he had an opportunity to create responsive programmes that emphasizes communities particularly youth as a key and agents of change for escalating peace in community and utilizing them as a legitimate actors in socio-economic development. As a lead aid specialist for Water, Agriculture, Community and Economic Development at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Korea, he has developed and and completed various projects on WASH, Agriculture and Community Development. Through, technical cooperation programs with Government of Pakistan, he is developing HRD programs for bureaucrats. As a leading youth activist, Mohsin is committed to alleviate poverty through youth entrepreneurship and capacity building in Pakistan. In 2007, he won National Award for his stories on AIDS/Sexual and Reproductive health and community bases interfaith harmony and counter terrorism by Ministry of Health and National Aids Control Program. He has served as focal person for inter-religion and interfaith communal harmony projects in Tribal Areas for GTO and FATA Development Authority, Youth Advocacy Pakistan after operations in FATA region. He played a vital role in bringing Religious scholars, clergy and Youth in mainstream development throughout country. He leaded several capacity building programs as Program Head & Project Manager Rural Education and Development Foundation UK and Pakistan' one of the largest educational network in rural areas in the world and provided quality education in conflict affected areas of Azad Jummu & Kashmir, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa. He also managed and leaded several humanitarian and psycho-sociologist support in emergency and IDPs (after Wazistan and Swat Operation by Army against Militants) funded by DFID, UKAID, USAID and multilateral organization for three years. The Active Citizen and Citizen Voice project by UKAID and USAID respect benefited thousands of youth in states of AJK, Gilgit Baltistan and FATA. 300 Centers for community mobilization, countering extremism and providing skills for teachers were established in these areas. He is appointed as Associate Fellow of Royal Commonwealth Society for his excellent work in community emancipation and empowerment and won International Prize on Public Diplomacy from Foreign Affairs and Ewha Women University of Korea (2014), Leadership Award (2016) Government of Punjab, Young Achiever Award (2015) for Community Services by Youth Career Management Authority Punjab. He is representing Global Youth Ambassador A World At School USA (2013-15), Advisory Member Youth Action and Korean Government for Water, Youth Leadership and Advisory Member of Rural Development Country Group (2013 to present), Advisory Mentor Queens Young Leaders Program, University of Cambridge and Fellow United Nation Institute of Training and Research (2013), and have represented Pakistan at various events and training globally.
Mohsin Khan
Founder and CEO Research for Sustainable Development
Co-Founder & Executive Director Youth Advocacy Council Pakistan
Director Program Management and Youth Leadership Good Thinkers Organization For Human Development Pakistan
Mohsin Khan (Wazir), a social activist, writer, poet and development professional having ten years of diverse experience in program development, evaluation, research and advocacy with multilateral, governmental and non-for profit organizations in Pakistan, Korea and Afghanistan. In collaboration with international partners, he had an opportunity to create responsive programmes that emphasizes communities particularly youth as a key and agents of change for escalating peace in community and utilizing them as a legitimate actors in socio-economic development. As a lead aid specialist for Water, Agriculture, Community and Economic Development at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Korea, he has developed and and completed various projects on WASH, Agriculture and Community Development. Through, technical cooperation programs with Government of Pakistan, he is developing HRD programs for bureaucrats. As a leading youth activist, Mohsin is committed to alleviate poverty through youth entrepreneurship and capacity building in Pakistan. In 2007, he won National Award for his stories on AIDS/Sexual and Reproductive health and community bases interfaith harmony and counter terrorism by Ministry of Health and National Aids Control Program. He has served as focal person for inter-religion and interfaith communal harmony projects in Tribal Areas for GTO and FATA Development Authority, Youth Advocacy Pakistan after operations in FATA region. He played a vital role in bringing Religious scholars, clergy and Youth in mainstream development throughout country. He leaded several capacity building programs as Program Head & Project Manager Rural Education and Development Foundation UK and Pakistan' one of the largest educational network in rural areas in the world and provided quality education in conflict affected areas of Azad Jummu & Kashmir, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa. He also managed and leaded several humanitarian and psycho-sociologist support in emergency and IDPs (after Wazistan and Swat Operation by Army against Militants) funded by DFID, UKAID, USAID and multilateral organization for three years. The Active Citizen and Citizen Voice project by UKAID and USAID respect benefited thousands of youth in states of AJK, Gilgit Baltistan and FATA. 300 Centers for community mobilization, countering extremism and providing skills for teachers were established in these areas. He is appointed as Associate Fellow of Royal Commonwealth Society for his excellent work in community emancipation and empowerment and won International Prize on Public Diplomacy from Foreign Affairs and Ewha Women University of Korea (2014), Leadership Award (2016) Government of Punjab, Young Achiever Award (2015) for Community Services by Youth Career Management Authority Punjab. He is representing Global Youth Ambassador A World At School USA (2013-15), Advisory Member Youth Action and Korean Government for Water, Youth Leadership and Advisory Member of Rural Development Country Group (2013 to present), Advisory Mentor Queens Young Leaders Program, University of Cambridge and Fellow United Nation Institute of Training and Research (2013), and have represented Pakistan at various events and training globally.
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Syed Najam Ul Hassan
Executive Director- Research for Sustainable Development
Syed Najam Ul Hassan
Executive Director- Research for Sustainable Development
“Bigger the Dream, Bigger the Work to create Change”
Awais Abid Kasuri
Director Operations Research for Sustainable Development
Co-Founder Youth Advocacy Council
Awais Abid, has been involved in development sector for last ten years. As an advocate for human rights, he led several programs on gender rights and most recently transgender socio-economic and legal rights with Canadian government. His area of interest are legal and social disparity, gender discrimination, human rights and community mobilization. He is founding member of Good Thinkers Organization for Human Development, Chairman Youth Advocacy Council Pakistan and Director Operations (Legal and Advocacy) Research for Sustainable Development Pakistan (Asia Chapter). He holds a master degree in social studies and Law Graduate and eight years experience in development sector. He has worked with some national and international organizations like “Aurat Foundation, Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan, United Nations Development Program, Marie Stopes Society, Citizen Commission for Human Development and UNOPS-UNDP”. He has currently been working with organization as Program Officer (Capacity Development), and will have a prominent role in capacity building projects.
Awais Abid Kasuri
Director Operations Research for Sustainable Development
Co-Founder Youth Advocacy Council
Awais Abid, has been involved in development sector for last ten years. As an advocate for human rights, he led several programs on gender rights and most recently transgender socio-economic and legal rights with Canadian government. His area of interest are legal and social disparity, gender discrimination, human rights and community mobilization. He is founding member of Good Thinkers Organization for Human Development, Chairman Youth Advocacy Council Pakistan and Director Operations (Legal and Advocacy) Research for Sustainable Development Pakistan (Asia Chapter). He holds a master degree in social studies and Law Graduate and eight years experience in development sector. He has worked with some national and international organizations like “Aurat Foundation, Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan, United Nations Development Program, Marie Stopes Society, Citizen Commission for Human Development and UNOPS-UNDP”. He has currently been working with organization as Program Officer (Capacity Development), and will have a prominent role in capacity building projects.
Education is the most powerful weapon to enhance economic development, shared prosperity can uplift women's lives
Qasir Rafique
Executive Manager Global Campaigns
Research for Sustainable Development
Qasir Rafiq is a renowned social innovator and philanthropist. He has devoted his life to making the world a more peaceful, equitable, and sustainable place to live. He received his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. He has seven years of non-profit experience, specializing in the eradication of poverty and the promotion of young women’s rights. Currently, Qasir worked as Program Associate at the American Refugee Committee (ARC) and is the country project lead for the Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education (PAGE) and currently working in Yemen as Expat with Act Against Hunger. He also served as Vice President of the International Youth Congress, an American-based non-profit. Mr. Rafiq was previously named ‘President of the Year’ by the International Youth Congress during their Fourth Annual Youth Summit in Orlando, Florida. He was honored for his management of the International Youth Council of Pakistan and the opening of the Apni Dunya School for impoverished Pakistani children. Qasir’s extensive experience of project management can be seen throughout his career as he worked for: Cesvi Italian, Action Against Hunger, Save the Children, Catholic Relief Services, PREPARED Pakistan, and Children First. His long-term goal is to establish the Educate Girls Foundation which will focus on ensuring all children, especially girls, receive a proper primary education. At RSD, he is leading initiatives on Education and Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
Qasir Rafique
Executive Manager Global Campaigns
Research for Sustainable Development
Qasir Rafiq is a renowned social innovator and philanthropist. He has devoted his life to making the world a more peaceful, equitable, and sustainable place to live. He received his Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. He has seven years of non-profit experience, specializing in the eradication of poverty and the promotion of young women’s rights. Currently, Qasir worked as Program Associate at the American Refugee Committee (ARC) and is the country project lead for the Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education (PAGE) and currently working in Yemen as Expat with Act Against Hunger. He also served as Vice President of the International Youth Congress, an American-based non-profit. Mr. Rafiq was previously named ‘President of the Year’ by the International Youth Congress during their Fourth Annual Youth Summit in Orlando, Florida. He was honored for his management of the International Youth Council of Pakistan and the opening of the Apni Dunya School for impoverished Pakistani children. Qasir’s extensive experience of project management can be seen throughout his career as he worked for: Cesvi Italian, Action Against Hunger, Save the Children, Catholic Relief Services, PREPARED Pakistan, and Children First. His long-term goal is to establish the Educate Girls Foundation which will focus on ensuring all children, especially girls, receive a proper primary education. At RSD, he is leading initiatives on Education and Global Goals for Sustainable Development.
"Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way" Tom Freston
Babar Khan Akhunzada
Web Manager and Creative Designer RISE App
As a young dynamic and emerging IT expert and Security Adviser, Babar Khan Akhunzada joined RSD with the aim to change the existing stereotypes by developing young IT researchers and Hackers as entrepreneur and social enterprise in order to achieve sustainable Development. He is highly motivated person with a long experience on the Web Based Domains and Software Based projects with several International and national organization such as Microsoft, Apple and Google. He is passionate about creative and innovative work especially when it is related to the Information Technologies and Information Security.. He is leading RSD website and develop Apps for Community Empowerment, Health and Education in Research, Innovation and Social Empowerment Program (RISE) and Rural Innovation Lab of RSD and Youth Advocacy Council Pakistan.
Babar Khan Akhunzada
Web Manager and Creative Designer RISE App
As a young dynamic and emerging IT expert and Security Adviser, Babar Khan Akhunzada joined RSD with the aim to change the existing stereotypes by developing young IT researchers and Hackers as entrepreneur and social enterprise in order to achieve sustainable Development. He is highly motivated person with a long experience on the Web Based Domains and Software Based projects with several International and national organization such as Microsoft, Apple and Google. He is passionate about creative and innovative work especially when it is related to the Information Technologies and Information Security.. He is leading RSD website and develop Apps for Community Empowerment, Health and Education in Research, Innovation and Social Empowerment Program (RISE) and Rural Innovation Lab of RSD and Youth Advocacy Council Pakistan.
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
Bogdan Alexandru Chelariu
Manager Global Affairs
Bogdan was born in Iasi, Romania, on 8th oh July 1986. He majored both BA and MA in Political Science, attending undergraduate and graduate courses at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, University of Bergen and University of Oslo. In September 2013 he was granted a research scholarship for 10 months at Haifa University in order to conduct research on the transition to constitutionalism and its effects over military and religious institutions. In the last years he have been publishing a couple of papers and a short volume. Moreover, he have been working as a cultural referent for a local theatre and as an inspector for the Directorate of Development and European Projects of Iasi Municipality. In June 2014, after resuming his research project, he took over the coordination of the Brussels Office of North-East Romania Regional Development Agency, dealing with the region’s lobby in the EU’s capital. In the summer of 2015 he attended the intensive training on Peace and Conflict Resolution at UC Berkeley.
As a Manager Global Affairs, Bogdan's role to provide strategic guidance to the Board of Directors to expand its research program and build capacities of Global Ambassador and Youth Chapters in Research, International Coalition and Lobbying. He is committed to human rights, sustainable development and to a democratic international architecture.
Bogdan Alexandru Chelariu
Manager Global Affairs
Bogdan was born in Iasi, Romania, on 8th oh July 1986. He majored both BA and MA in Political Science, attending undergraduate and graduate courses at Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, University of Bergen and University of Oslo. In September 2013 he was granted a research scholarship for 10 months at Haifa University in order to conduct research on the transition to constitutionalism and its effects over military and religious institutions. In the last years he have been publishing a couple of papers and a short volume. Moreover, he have been working as a cultural referent for a local theatre and as an inspector for the Directorate of Development and European Projects of Iasi Municipality. In June 2014, after resuming his research project, he took over the coordination of the Brussels Office of North-East Romania Regional Development Agency, dealing with the region’s lobby in the EU’s capital. In the summer of 2015 he attended the intensive training on Peace and Conflict Resolution at UC Berkeley.
As a Manager Global Affairs, Bogdan's role to provide strategic guidance to the Board of Directors to expand its research program and build capacities of Global Ambassador and Youth Chapters in Research, International Coalition and Lobbying. He is committed to human rights, sustainable development and to a democratic international architecture.
Country Coordinators
The Democratic Republic of Congo
René Slim Kadima
Country Coordinator-DRC
René Slim Kadima, is an emerging young Congolese leader, Education Professional. He founded a Look Ahead English Center (LAC); to foster the Youth's leadership trumps referring to English as a foreign language. Besides, He's pretty much involved in the Education of young people and Sustainable development. He also have worked hard in his education and career to prepare and empower himself : the reason why he spent the two last years developing his skills through the YALI Network Platform by gaining diverse online courses awards/certificates (understanding climate change, Leadership, Business Entrepreneurship as well as two in Public management). He's currently a YALI activities volunteer and serve my community by giving back this knowledge with people of different backgrounds mainly youth development ;women empowering and inspiring them to reach the highest of their abilities. He is passionate in leading youth’s team work; he believes and has a vision to enable youth as a catalyst for change and sustainable development. His highly commitment in Youth's volunteer activities. He is also serving as Country Representative of ART OF GIVING for the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the International Youth Committee an NGO headquartered in India/New Delhi. As a Country Coordinator DRC, his main assignments are to build network, engage youth across the country and provide strategic support to the Borad of Directors in H.Q of the RSD Global Team. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Applied Pedagogy and did English as a major subject from the Teacher Training College of MBUJI-MAYI, in (Kasa- Oriental Province).