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Interactive exchange between Caribbean Youth and the Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth
In efforts to connect young people in the Caribbean with key UN entities working on youth issues, the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean convened an exchange with the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth (OSGEY) on 16 June 2023. Counting on the participation of four members of OSGEY, the conversation aimed to provide participants including members of UNESCO’s Youth, Peace and Security Support Group, young advocates and members of youth-led organizations across the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean the opportunity to learn more about the work of the UN Office of the Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth. Focus was given to the -the first-ever UN system-wide strategy on youth, which guides joint UN action for and with young people globally. The OSGEY team also briefed the young participants on its work to advance young people's participation in peace and security issues through its work on the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda.
Facilitated by Sudha Balakrishnan and Angga Martha from OSGEY, participants were informed of the newly mandated UN Youth Office which was agreed upon in September 2022 through the unanimous vote of resolution 76/306. Participants also learned about the revised principles of meaningful youth engagement as per the recently released as well as the objectives of Youth2030, including accelerating the UN System’s work on youth, promoting a culture of working with young people, and transforming the workforce in the UN system to be more forward thinking. The resources and information shared will reinforce participants’ advocacy efforts for more strengthened youth engagement in decision-making processes at all levels.
To me, peace means: Being able to coexist regardless of our differences and working together toward a common good.
The conversation with the OSGEY team also delved into young people's participation in peace and security. The team working on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS), Emilia Hannuksela and Racquel Correa, exchanged with young participants concerning the global Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, including key themes such as youth-inclusive peace processes, protection of young peacebuilders and communications and advocacy on YPS.
Peace isn’t just the absence of war but the ability to exist in a safe place that respects and values each and every human life.
OSGEY also shared opportunities to engage on different initiatives, which resulted in an interactive and lively discussion with the participants. Youth participants raised questions and recommendations on how to enhance intra-UN coordination on youth development in the region, the limitations of grouping the Caribbean together with Latin America in programming, as well as how the UN can support young people to enhance intergenerational partnerships with governmental actors in their countries. The conversation provided an avenue for participants to engage with different youth stakeholders at a global level and enhanced UNESCO’s partnership and collaboration with OSGEY. A follow-up exchange with young people is foreseen to explore how to further advance Caribbean youth participation in global processes and spaces, considering the specific realities of Small Islands Developing States (SIDS).
