(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) President of the Republic of Suriname, His Excellency Drs Ronald Runaldo Venetiaan is to receive on Monday 9 February his first official brief on the progress of the work of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Commission on Youth Development (CCYD).
Co-Chairs of the Commission, Ms Yildiz Beighle and Professor Barry Chevannes accompanied by Programme Manager, Culture and Community Development, Dr Hilary Brown and Deputy Programme Manager, Youth and Community Development, Dr. Heather Johnson, both of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, will brief the Head of Government with lead responsibility for Youth in the CARICOM quasi cabinet.
They will share with him, critical issues emanating from preliminary research findings as well as preparatory activities leading up to the submission of the Commission’s Report to the 30th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community scheduled for Guyana in July 2009. President Venetiaan officially launched the Commission in March 2007.
CARICOM Heads of Government established the CCYD to advise them 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 Commission has been convening regular meetings with stakeholders to validate and or identify any gaps in the research. The Commission has also started the development of a plan of action, including a strategic vision to complete its Report.
When President Venetiaan launched the 15-member Commission, he told Commissioners that they should examine thoroughly the role of youth in the CSME, and charged them to connect sustainable development with the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as those indicators were critical to the development of a youth strategy.
The President will now have an opportunity to note the extent to which his guidelines had been observed.
Following the meeting, President Venetiaan will host a press conference with the Suriname media to share outcomes.
