(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) As the Caribbean Community gears up for its first ever Special Summit on Youth Development, CARICOM Secretary-General, His Excellency Edwin Carrington has expressed confidence that Heads of Government will give their full support to their deliberations on the situation of Caribbean youth.

Set for Torarica Hotel in Paramaribo, Suriname on 29-30 January 2010 under the theme: YOUTH NOW for the Community Tomorrow, the Special Summit has been convened to receive the Report of two-and half years of research done by the CARICOM Commission on Youth Development (CCYD) on the situation of Caribbean youth ages 10-29.

The CCYD was launched in March 2007 with a mandate from the 27th Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community to conduct “a full scale analysis of the challenges and opportunities for youth in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME); and make recommendations to improve their well-being and empowerment.”

Noting that the future of the integration movement “rests on the shoulders of productive, contributing, self-asserting young people who make up approximately two-thirds of the Caribbean population,” Secretary-General Carrington said “we have no doubt that the Summit deliberations will demonstrate that CARICOM Heads of Government consider youth development as an urgent priority.”

“Young people comprise the sector of the population best positioned, by virtue of their creative potential, to play the lead role in responding to the challenges of Globalisation as well as to the demands of regional integration and the CSME,” Secretary-General Carrington said; “hence we will make the time to deliberate and devise actions to advance the youth agenda.”

He also pointed out that the issue of the displacement of Haitian youth has been discussed in detail in the CCYD Report and that this issue would become much more urgent in light of the recent catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. “Indeed, this is a virtual call to action for the future of the Community,” Secretary-General Carrington stated.

Lending her voice to the Secretary-General’s, co-chair of the CCYD, Suriname’s Yldiz Beighle said she is confident that given the critical importance of youth to the CSME, Heads of Government will attend the Summit.

“Over 9-million young people including displaced Haitian youth were watching to see how the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community treated with the issues relating to youth development,” she said.

The co-chair reminded the Heads of Government that “the eyes of the youth are upon you and we of the Commission know that you take the mandate you gave us seriously. The actions you will take now will have an impact for the future of the Caribbean Community.

Just ahead of the two-day Summit, there will be a regional youth forum at the Congress Hall in Paramaribo, Suriname which will be attended by young people representing all 15 Member States and four Associate Members. The Forum will be addressed by the Lead Head of Government with responsibility for Youth Development in the CARICOM quasi-cabinet arrangements, His Excellency Ronald Runaldo Venetiaan, President of Suriname, the CARICOM Secretary-General and the Dean of the CARICOM Youth Ambassador Dominica’s Monelle Alexis.

On 28 January, the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) will convene a one-day meeting with its Ministers of Youth and representatives from youth related agencies.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org