Georgetown: The growing need for youth involvement in the national, regional and global developmental agendas has been realized and acknowledged by those at the governance level. In an effort to further enhance the work of the Youth Ambassadors throughout the Caribbean, the CARICOM Secretariat is hosting a four-day Orientation and Capacity-building Workshop.
Minister within the Ministry of Education, Nicolette Henry on Monday welcomed the CYAs; many of whom are visiting Guyana for the first time. Addressing those gathered at CARICOM Secretariat, Minister Henry spoke of the youth projects being undertaken in Guyana; highlighting the recent relaunch of youth week observance in Guyana after a little more than two decades.
Key to the many youth based programmes being undertaken, Minister Henry pinpointed Government's recent launched 'Youth Innovation Project of Guyana (YIPoG)'.
The workshop is designed to educate the CYAs about their role and function and to build their capacity for advocacy and action in relation to relevant international and regional development mandates, plans and programs. These include the CSME, the Caricom Strategic Plan, the CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan (CYDAP) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as a range of thematic issues such as Youth in Agriculture, Culture, and creative industries, Crime and Security, Human resource development and energy.
During the next four days, the workshop will also address the development of a CYAP Action Plan for the period 2017-2019. "This gathering of Youth Ambassadors is one which we all welcome … It is an important opportunity for youth leadership development and participation at the highest level in the Caribbean Community,” as was noted by the Assistant Secretary-General, Human, and Social Development, Dr. Douglas Slater.
During his remarks Dr. Douglas reflected on the Caricom Youth Ambassador Programme (CYAP) launched in 1993 as part of the 20th-anniversary celebrations of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas. This peculiar initiative is the Community’s mechanism for facilitating youth participation and partnership in the regional integration process and in national and regional development. “The programme plays a strategic role in bridging the gap between regional and national levels of decision-making and the implementation of new strategies," Dr. Slater noted.
He added too that the Caribbean Community is committed to promoting and mainstreaming youth development across the region and recognizes that critical, in this regard, is to encourage more investment in youth while it provides an additional opportunity to develop their creative and productive capacities.
Deputy Representative, UNICEF – Mr. Paolo Marchi emphasized that the workshop will not only benefit the CYA but will also impact the lives of the youth population within the respective nations.
"At UNICEF we recognize that adolescents and youth the unique perspective on the issues that affect them and their peers who venture to lead the discussions on their dreams, experience and life expectations," he posited.
While sharing the statistics of the growing youth population, globally, Marchi reminded that the young people of today will be the assessors of the achievements made through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
National Operations Officer – FAO, Ms. Lisa Martinez, in her presentation, emphasized the role of young people in promoting and ensuring the Community’s food security. In this regard, this workshop provides a timely opportunity to inform the Youth Ambassadors about their role ensuing the Caribbean’s food security and promoting more youth involvement in agriculture.
Dean of the CYA Corps, Mr. Charde Desir in his remarks resounded the plea for the building of capacity for advocacy and actions to meet the needs of the relevant regional and international mandates, especially since youth represent a large portion of the world's population.
"This responsibility should not be taken lightly given the mirage of issues facing adolescents, young adults, and adults of this age bracket," he said. He highlighted the importance of marrying the developmental agendas to look at encouraging more youth participation in agriculture, crime and security, reducing unemployment, culture and creative industries as a means of promoting economic growth, human resource development and the use of sustainable energy.
This noted, tomorrow Thursday, the Ministry will be hosting the CYAs at a cultural presentation at the Umana Yana. This event is aimed at informing about Guyana's rich and diverse cultural heritage.
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