MESSAGE TO THE CARICOM SUMMIT ON YOUTH AND DEVELOPMENT

MESSAGE FROM JAMAICA'S PRIME MINISTER, HON.  BRUCE GOLDING

TO THE CARICOM SUMMIT ON YOUTH AND DEVELOPMENT,

PARAMARIBO, SURINAME, JANUARY 29- 30, 2010

SALUTATIONS

I regret that I am unable to be here in person at this very important meeting as I have to attend to urgent matters relating to the pressing issue of Jamaica's economic recovery programme.  However, I welcome the opportunity to send this message.

The Caribbean is among the most promising places in the world because we are blessed with a growing population of talented young people. They bring vitality, innovation and strength to our region.

At the same time, there is a burning impatience and a certain amount of frustration because they believe that there are so many things that could happen in the Caribbean and they cannot understand why it is taking so long to happen. That sentiment is not all negative because in that impatience there is a tremendous amount of energy and passion for the Caribbean and an anxiety to see the Caribbean come into its own and achieve what all of us feel is our destiny.

You are meeting here under the theme ‘Eye on the Future...investing in youth now for tomorrow's community', at a time when the world is learning some harsh lessons.

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It will be important for our young people to be prepared to achieve their true promise right here in the Caribbean. The shortcomings, the ills and the risks that our youth face are well documented, perhaps even more than the opportunities that are available. The research done shows that even while outsiders see the Caribbean as a place for investment opportunities, our young people, between age 15 and 25 are cynical and uninformed about the value of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). This puts the future leadership of the Caribbean at a real risk.

This summit is a major step towards ensuring that we become unified in providing mechanisms in governance for more youth participation in decision making on matters that impact them. We must share best practices and resources so that there are more opportunities for our youth to emerge as valuable citizens and strong leaders. This is why I look forward to the ratification of the Declaration of Paramaribo. Our mission now will be to make these decisions real, be more collaborative among ourselves and with our youth, demand more and better services for young people.

 The prospects of young people in the Caribbean can and must be improved to ensure their full involvement and the utilization of their skills and competencies. They are our future leaders and Champions .We must ensure that they are prepared to take up the challenges of tomorrow, today.