(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) More than seventy-five youth representatives are meeting in Suriname to give a final critique to the report of the CARICOM Commission on Youth Development (CCYD) in the run up to the Special Summit of CARICOM Heads of Government set for the end of January, 2010.
The joint meeting of CARICOM Youth Affairs Directors, Youth Ambassadors and representatives of Inter-Agency Advisory Committees on Youth provides the platform for this critique, at the Courtyard Marriott on 1-2 December.
Just two days prior to this meeting, the CARICOM Secretariat concluded a series of national consultations in which they engage key stakeholders in discussions on the findings and recommendations of the draft report, which, mandated by CARICOM Heads of Government at their 26th Regular Meeting, will provide recommendations to the Community on sustainable forward-thinking policies and programmes to improve the well-being, development and empowerment of youth.
Over the past two years, the Commission, with the assistance of youth focal points and CARICOM Youth Ambassadors, has been engaged in qualitative and quantitative research among Caribbean youth, in keeping with the Commission’s mandate to analyse the situation of youth in the CSME and make appropriate recommendations.
The Meeting in Suriname, which is jointly funded by the United Nations Population Fund Agency (UNFPA) and the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) is the pen-ultimate forum in which the 15-member Commission’s report will be reviewed ahead of its seventh meeting set for Haiti next week, where it will put the final touches on the document before it is submitted to the Conference.
In addition to discussions on the Report, the joint Meeting has a formidable agenda which includes a comprehensive discussion on the challenges in linking the national, regional and international youth development agendas and the proposed structural amendments to strengthen the Regional Strategy for Youth Development (RSYD) including the proposed CARICOM Youth Development Goals (CYDGs) as a companion operational guide.
Youth Ambassadors will have their regular end of year meeting on Monday, (30 November) under the theme: Renewing Our Commitment to the CYAP: Empowering the Region’s
