Members of the Haitian Government
Master Ambassador, Representative of the Bureau of CARICOM in Haiti
Master Director General of the Ministry, Youth and Sports and Civic Action
Master Co-Chair of the CARICOM Commission for the Development of Youth
Madam the Regional Director of UNICEF
Madam the Executive Director of IDEJEN
Madam, Master Ambassadors of Youth of Haiti to CARICOM
Directors and Upper Management of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Civic Action
Representatives of Non-Governmental Organizations
Representatives of Youth associations
Members of the Press
Ladies and Gentlemen

In the name of the Government headed by Madame Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis of which I am a member, this morning, I am pleased to welcome the Third Meeting of the CARICOM Commission for the Development of Youth.

The pleasure I feel is even greater since this ceremony is reminiscent of the inauguration twelve years ago of the first Caribbean Conference of the Ministers of Youth and Sports that was held at the time in order to establish the framework of a regional integration and Caribbean co-operation policy between countries of the Region.

The issue was to explore the means to pool cultural productions, physical and economic resources, social and political experiences that would constitute a common heritage to be protected and developed for the benefit of the forty million (40,000,000) inhabitants including more than twenty million (20,000,000) youth living in the Region.

Moreover, this week’s event coincides with the endeavors started in order to open the General Meeting that will lead to the development of Youth, Sports and Civic policies.

This event is also being held at an especially important moment of our national life when the Ministry I head has received a mandate to work at designing and proposing action programs offering Haitian youth of both sexes opportunities for their social, economic, political, cultural and civic integration. The themes included in this week’s meetings foresee the reflection and exchange work planned for the upcoming communal, departmental and national fora whose launching is contemplated for the end of December 2008.

The convergence of conjunctional interests of Haiti and other countries of the Caribbean bodes well for the quality of cooperation to be boosted between our country and the other CARICOM countries and the sustained efforts that must be deployed in order to build an effective and productive partnership that provides opportunities of integration for the benefit of our country’s youth.

Additionally, the concerns expressed by the young people themselves during the survey conducted in three target areas of the country are included in this perspective.

The surveys conducted with them will also allow us to have some idea on the vision, problems, aspirations and expectations of youth. The debates promise to be interesting.

Finally, an evaluation process should shed light on the work achieved by the Youth Ambassadors to CARICOM.   You have a rather busy schedule carefully prepared by the different stakeholders.  Allow me to congratulate them for the work accomplished with the greatest of dedication.

I will not end my address without making a commitment to take all possible measures apt to improve the working conditions of our Ambassadors whose task has been less than easy for various reasons.  From now on, the General Directorship will put the Directorship of Youth in particular in a position to assist the Ambassadors as they themselves wished to be.

Congratulations to both of our Ambassadors, we ask them to be our spokespersons with the other Youth Ambassadors to CARICOM who are always at home here in Haiti.

Long live Haitian Youth, long live the Youth of the Caribbean!

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your presence and attention.

A healthy youth for a strong country!

May your work be fruitful!

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org