Master of Ceremonies, Mr Carlton James
Chairman of COHSOD, Mr. Peter Martinez, Minister of Community Development and Transformation, Belize
Hon Clement Rohee, Minister of Home Affairs, Guyana
Hon Edwin Wolf, Minister of Education and Community Development, Suriname and representative of His Excellency, Runaldo Venetiaan, President of Suriname and Lead Head of Government for Culture, Youth and Sport
Ministers of Government, CARICOM Member States
Mr. Nils Kastberg, Regional Director, UNICEF, Latin America and the Caribbean
Distinguished Guest Speaker, Professor Nigel Harris, Vice Chancellor, UWI
Government Officials
Representatives of Regional and International Organisations
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Child Journalists
Performers
Ms. Kiana Wilburg (from Guyana)
Ms. Mikhel Passe (from Trinidad and Tobago)
Ms. Genelva Krind (from Suriname)
Specially Invited Guests
Representatives of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my privilege and pleasure as Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community to welcome you to this Twelfth Special Meeting of the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD). I offer a very special welcome to the Ministers of Belize, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago who are attending their first Meeting of COHSOD.

Honourable Ministers, we look forward to your unique contribution to the deliberations and achievements of this important Community Organ.

This Special Meeting turns the spotlight on issues affecting a critical segment of our population - our children and young people. I am therefore, happy to welcome in a very special way, the children and young persons, who are participating in this Opening Ceremony, as well as in the meeting itself.

In this latter regard, we welcome the opportunity to view our deliberations through the eyes of our child journalists who will be covering some of the sessions of this Meeting. This innovation is one which I applaud because I am confident that the perspectives unveiled by them will be instructive for child and adult participants alike. This will certainly help to bridge the gaps in communication which often serve to erect barriers to effective progress in defining and achieving desired outcomes for children.

Ladies and gentlemen, when the United Nations General Assembly Special Session, (UNGASS) in 2002 committed to work towards building ‘A World fit for children’, it signalled recognition that the existing environment was falling far short of that which would provide for reasonable life chances for ALL of our children. Indeed our world has become a daunting place for children.

The following statement made by the child delegates representing the Children’s Forum at the opening of the UNGASS, represented the voices of far too large a percentage of the World’s children. I quote:

We may be tempted, in a reckless moment, to argue that this is not the reality of our Region, but if we examine the statistics and the emerging trends and if we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that although this may not be the experience of the majority of our children, far too many are falling prey to circumstances that locate them in this reality.

One has only to look at the rising levels of crime and violence in our Community, a significant proportion of which is directed at or committed by our children and youth; the increasing alienation of many of our children and especially our boys from our education system and the increasing numbers whose lives are severely disrupted by the incidence of HIV/AIDS, making them orphans, thereby increasing their vulnerability. Add to all this the increasing numbers now living in poverty because of the downturn in some of our economies and one can be persuaded easily of this emerging reality and the imperative of creating protective environments for our children.

It is therefore not surprising that our Member States have been making significant investments in Human Resource development over the past three or four decades.

Our Heads of Government have recognised the importance of continuing these efforts, especially in the context of addressing the Human and Social Development issues necessary for making the Single Market and Economy a truly viable mechanism for propelling the development of our Region.

As you are aware to this end the Heads of Government established, in 2007, a Commission on Youth Development which has, as an important part of its remit, the analysis of the situation of youth (ages 10 - 35) in our Community and the development of recommendations for addressing many of the major issues mentioned above.

It is within that context that the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) is convening this Special Meeting to focus on creating a ‘Region Fit For Children’. It will address important issues of harmonisation of our legal Frameworks for children and for standards for early childhood development services. I wish to highlight the importance of such harmonisation within the context of the CARICOM Single Market (CSM) as we seek to ensure the seamless provision of services to children and others throughout the Region. To this end, the preparatory work has commenced with regard to the drafting of a protocol on Contingent Rights, those rights to be accorded to spouses, children and other dependents of persons who have exercised the right to move within the framework of the CSM. Foremost among these are the rights to services such as education and health care. Our citizens need to be confident that they are not putting their dependents at a disadvantage with regard to such essential services. The Single Market is stultified if such rights are denied.

Apart from issues central to the development of the Community I note that the key priorities outlined by UNGASS namely, promoting healthy lives; providing quality education; protecting against abuse, exploitation and violence; combating HIV/AIDS; and mobilizing resources, the issue of strategic programming for children affected by natural disasters and emergencies, will engage the attention of this Meeting of COHSOD.

Honourable Ministers, we cannot afford to ignore the fact that within the next two decades, the World will be significantly altered by the effects of climate change and our planners will need to deal strategically with this reality if we are to adequately provide for the children of this generation. I am therefore happy to note that there will be a technical session presented by our own Dr. Leonard Nurse, who was recently awarded the grand commendation of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate for 2007 as a member of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Dr. Nurse, please accept our proud congratulations.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the UNGASS Plan of Action emphasises the crucial role to be played by a range of actors. We need to be careful therefore as we plan, that we engage these stakeholders vigorously and to provide the necessary capacity building to ensure their optimal contribution. These include our children themselves; parents, families and other caregivers; local governments; parliamentarians; NGOs; the private sector; religious, spiritual, cultural and indigenous leaders; the mass media and people who work with children - and each and everyone of us.

We at the CARICOM Secretariat have collaborated with Member States and a number of development partners and regional institutions in providing leadership for a number of regional initiatives in support of children. These include the Regional Early Childhood Development Working Group comprising Regional Organisations and Development Partners working on issues affecting children, the Task Force on Child Rights and Child Protection, the Working Group on Disciplinary Practices with children, and the Working Group on Health and Family Life Education. The successes recorded could not have been achieved without this close engagement with our partners. The benefits of engaging in functional cooperation in pursuit of a better Region for children were quite evident.

The Secretariat wishes to place on record its appreciation to our Partners for the important role which they continue to play in the development of the Region. We wish in particular, on this occasion to thank UNICEF for the significant technical and financial support provided for this meeting.

In closing I am confident that despite the many challenges, this Council will address the issues before it in a manner that will promote the building of a Region Fit for ALL Children, regardless of their sex, ethnicity, race, social standing, religion or culture and in so doing take us closer to the ultimate goal of our Community, a better quality of life for All.

Mr Chairman, Honourable Ministers, Distinguished Delegates please accept my best wishes for a successful and productive meeting.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org