KINGSTON, Jamaica – Jamaica says it will use its chairmanship of the 15-member regional integration movement, CARICOM, from July this year, to place emphasis on youth as the architects of the future.
CARICOM chair and Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley and incoming chair and Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew HolnessPrime Minister Andrew Holness, who assumes the chairmanship from Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, noted that the youth of the region accounts for nearly 60 percent of the population of the region.
“You have the power to redefine the Caribbean’s place in the world,” Holness said, in a special message ahead of the 49th meeting of Caribbean leaders to be held in Montego Bay from July 6-8.
Holness spoke of the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors Programme as a vital platform for the collective voices of young people and encouraged them to be active co-creators of the region’s progress.
He also placed emphasis on the technological age, pointing out that the “digital fluency” and creative energy of young people were essential.
“You are the innovators who will create new industries; the entrepreneurs who will redefine our economies; and the leaders who will advocate for climate justice and sustainability. I urge you to remain bold, confident and visionary.
“Let us work together to create a Region where your ideas are valued, your contributions are celebrated and your futures are secured. We will not just listen to your voices; we will act on your ideas,” Holness said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Kamina Johnson Smith, told a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on Tuesday that when Jamaica assumes the chairmanship, human development, capacity-building and partnerships will be central to all dialogues and actions.
The summit will be held under the theme ‘People, Partnerships, Prosperity: Promoting a Secure and Sustainable Future,” and Johnson Smith, said that significant thought planning and effort went into developing the theme.
She said that ‘people’ was placed first to reflect the importance of human development and capacity-building, which must remain at the heart of all regional initiatives.
The minister in addressing the element of ‘partnerships’, said that nothing can be done in isolation.
“Not only as a region but globally, we have to ensure that we have appropriate partnerships in place to build resilience and to achieve our goals,” she said, adding that the theme’s focus on ‘prosperity’ reflects the aspirational developmental goals shared by all CARICOM member states.
Reflecting on the phrase, ‘promoting a secure and sustainable future’, Johnson Smith said that peace, stability and security are critical pre-conditions for prosperity and require collective commitment from all.
“The sustainable element also includes an economic aspect. Sustainability is also about inclusive and sustained economic growth… . This is key to building a region that is not only environmentally sustainable but also capable of achieving more together,” she added.
