HOW REALLY serious are our Caribbean Community Heads of Government in moving collectively to foster and sustain youth development, including in decision-making processes at national/regional level?

This question was raised at last weekend’s two-day inaugural CARICOM Summit on Youth Development in Paramaribo, Suriname, at which a comprehensive report, based on more than two years of region-wide consultations and research, was discussed.

The 14-member Commission was established in March 2007 by the Community’s Heads of Government. Suriname, whose President (Ronald Venetiaan) has lead responsibility for culture, youth affairs and sports, was the venue of choice for the inaugural youth summit.

Alas! Apart from host President Venetiaan, just two other CARICOM leaders showed up for the ceremonial opening on January 29 — Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo and Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit (current chairman of the Community).

The following day (Jan.30), Prime Minister Stephenson King of St. Lucia turned up for the plenary working session. Haiti’s absence, even at ministerial level, was quite understandable in the face of the horrendous earthquake devastation of January 12.

But what of the other ten leaders of the 15-member Community — such as those from leading partner states like Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Belize?

The grave consequences of crime and violence for the future of the region’s youth and national/regional development in general were issues of deliberations at the series of meetings and consultations that took place following the creation of the Commission.

Co-chaired by UWI Professor (emeritus), Barry Chevannes of Jamaica and former Youth Ambassador in the Community Secretariat, Yidiz Beighle of Suriname, the Commission’s primary recommendations, apart from facing up to the challenging crime and violence situation, also focused on how the region’s youth (between 15 to 35) could be exposed to, and be involved in, decision-making.

Stirring ‘Declaration’

Despite the large absence of CARICOM leaders, the summit climaxed with a stirring ‘Declaration of Paramaribo on the Future of Youth Development in the Caribbean Community’.

The Community Secretariat was requested to prepare a ‘Plan of Action’, prioritising core recommendations on strategies and modalities of implementation, to facilitate endorsement by Heads of Government when they meet for their Inter-Sessional Meeting in Dominica by mid next month.

It all seems such a familiar pattern: Serious, recurring problems of a regional nature arise. Community ministers with portfolio responsibilities become involved in recommendations.

The Heads of Government then meet, discuss (in some form or the other) and agree, as the situation requires, to establish a Working Group, a Commission, a Task Force, or some such  mechanism.

Reports are then submitted, within varying timeframes and in accordance with mandates given. The Secretariat is then authorised to prepare an ‘Action Plan’, which has to be approved by Heads of Government

They subsequently meet, as convenient, and endorse the recommended Action Plan. Finally comes the big challenge — IMPLEMENTATION. Sometimes things do go according to arrangements; sometimes they simply fall apart, adding in the process to the layers of cynicism, doubts and deep disappointment.

We have been told that the ‘Declaration of Paramaribo on Youth Development’ was informed, in part, by the recognised ‘historical contributions’ of, for instance, the following:

The Commonwealth Youth Programme and United Nations agencies like UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA and other international development partners “towards the development and empowerment of Caribbean youth…”

In endorsing the main recommendations, the Declaration urged support of “policies and programmes to engage the creative intellect and energy of a diverse youth population in facing the challenge of globalisation and the CSME (CARICOM Single Market and Economy);”

Further, for the development of “national and regional youth governance networks with clearly articulated roles for National Youth Councils, Caricom youth ambassadors and other national/regional structures…”

Good for the framers of the ‘Declaration’. Better still, for the endorsement given at the Paramaribo Summit. Now we await the proposed ‘Action Plan’ for authorised implementation by the Heads of Government.

Will they accept the challenges involved? They are still to effectively address the far wider issues involved for the realisation of a ‘single economy and a single development vision’.