KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Jamaica says it can use its chairmanship of the 15-member regional integration motion, CARICOM, from July this 12 months to emphasise youth because the architects of the longer term.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who assumes the chairmanship from Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, famous that the youth of the area account for practically 60 % of the inhabitants of the realm.
“You have got the ability to redefine the Caribbean’s place on the planet,” Holness mentioned in a particular message forward of the forty ninth assembly of Caribbean leaders to be held in Montego Bay from July 6-8.
Holness spoke of the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors Programme as an important platform for the collective voices of younger individuals and inspired them to be lively co-creators of the area’s progress.
He additionally emphasised the technological age, stating that the “digital fluency” and inventive power of younger individuals had been important.
“You’re the innovators who will create new industries, the entrepreneurs who will redefine our economies, and the leaders who will advocate for local weather justice and sustainability. I urge you to stay daring, assured, and visionary.
“Allow us to work collectively to create a Area the place your concepts are valued, your contributions are celebrated, and your futures are secured. We won’t simply hearken to your voices; we are going to act in your concepts,” Holness mentioned.
In the meantime, Overseas Affairs and Overseas Commerce Minister Kamina Johnson Smith instructed a Jamaica Info Service (JIS) Assume Tank on Tuesday that when Jamaica assumes the chairmanship, human improvement, capacity-building, and partnerships might be central to all dialogues and actions.
The summit might be held beneath the theme ‘Folks, Partnerships, Prosperity: Selling a Safe and Sustainable Future,” and Johnson Smith mentioned that vital thought planning and energy went into growing the theme.
She mentioned that ‘individuals’ was positioned first to mirror the significance of human improvement and capacity-building, which should stay on the coronary heart of all regional initiatives.
The minister, in addressing the factor of ‘partnerships,’ mentioned that nothing may very well be performed in isolation.
“Not solely as a area however globally, we have now to make sure that we have now applicable partnerships in place to construct resilience and to realize our objectives,” she mentioned, including that the theme’s concentrate on ‘prosperity’ displays the aspirational developmental objectives shared by all CARICOM member states.
Reflecting on the phrase, ‘selling a safe and sustainable future,’ Johnson Smith mentioned that peace, stability, and safety are essential pre-conditions for prosperity and require collective dedication from all.
“The sustainable factor additionally consists of an financial side. Sustainability can also be about inclusive and sustainable financial progress. That is key to constructing a area that’s not solely environmentally sustainable but in addition able to attaining extra collectively,” she added.
