(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque reaffirmed his commitment to working with the young peoples of the Caribbean Region to empower them to realize their dreams and aspirations.
The Secretary-General told the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Human and Social Development (COHSOD) which opened in Georgetown, Guyana on Thursday morning that youth empowerment was integral to the success of the regional integration movement.
The two-day COHSOD meeting which focuses on Youth, Sport and Culture is held under the theme Culture, Youth and Sport: Strategic repositioning for human development and economic growth. Ambassador LaRocque who was addressing his first COHSOD meeting since his assumption to the post of CARICOM Secretary-General, told the Meeting that the theme resonated with “the call to innovate or perish” and to seek out new ways to foster human development and economic growth in communities, especially among young people. He noted that in the current global order, “continual strategizing and repositioning is an imperative, if the Region is to develop and compete rather than merely exist or survive.” Youth development, he stated, was at the centre of this.
In reaffirming his intention to make youth development a priority during his tenure, the CARICOM Secretary-General pointed to the importance of integrating youth in all Community activities in order to harness their potential.
“We cannot remain oblivious to the reality that failure to harness the potential of our young people is tantamount to failure to safeguarding the future of the Community,” he asserted.
He referred to the 2010 Report of the CARICOM Commission on Youth Development on the situation of youth in the Caribbean – Eye on the future investing in youth now for tomorrow’s Community, noting that the very title of the Report underscored the positive contribution being made by Caribbean youth, but he hastened to point out that the Report enumerated the several challenges of a globalized Caribbean Community which threaten to destroy young people.
The response to this, he averred, was to develop appropriate mechanisms to engage and communicate with young people and also create opportunities for their empowerment. Sport and Culture, he noted were two such important vehicles “in shaping identity and economic enterprise for youth empowerment.”
“We need to adapt our communication methods, tools and technologies to meet the needs of our youth audience in order to engage them and communicate with them effectively,” he stressed.
In this regard, the CARICOM Secretary-General welcomed the Draft CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan as an excellent strategy to help engage young people and harness and develop their potential. The strategy hinges on six youth development goals that speak to the formulation of a policy and institutional environment to ensure the following youth outcomes: resilience, safety and security; health and holistic wellbeing; education and economic empowerment; youth participation, governance and partnerships; and culture, identity and citizenship. It identifies targets for implementing the recommendations of the CCYD Report.
Guyana’s Minister of Youth Culture and Sport, Hon Dr Frank Anthony who is Chair of the COHSOD meeting weighed in his support to the Secretary-General, emphasizing the need for renewed commitment to follow-up on the recommendations of the CCYD Report and the Declaration of Paramaribo on the Future of Youth in the Caribbean Community, which documents Heads of Government Commitment to Youth development.
“We need to ensure that youth are treated as invaluable assets and important partners in national and regional development and that they are fully integrated in the work of the Caribbean Community.”
He also called on Member States to re-commit to supporting the ailing CARICOM Youth Ambassador Program “to ensure that it realizes its fullest potential in developing a cadre of young leaders, committed to regionalism.”
Ten Ministers and other delegations from 14 Member States are attending the 22nd COHSOD meeting. During the two-days of deliberations, Ministers are expected to approve the Draft CARICOM Regional Development Strategy and Action Plan for Cultural and Creative Industries; the Draft CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan and the establishment of a Regional Task Force on Sport Tourism.
In addition, the COHSOD Meeting will discuss the phased implementation of the CARICOM Social Development and Crime Prevention Action Plan, outcomes of the UN High-Level Meeting on Chronic Non- Communicable Diseases and matters relating to the governance of cricket in the Region.
