Don't be a talk shop on youth, says Grange

Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Olivia Grange on Tuesday, urged colleagues who attended the First Forum of Ministers responsible for Social and Sustainable Development in the Caribbean to make their conference count.

The conference, held in Kingston, brought together several Caribbean Community ministers, officials and representatives of United Nations agencies, among other stakeholders, to discuss social-development strategies for Caribbean youth.

Moving forward

Grange, who presided over the forum, said the meeting had "presented, in concrete terms, ideas that will move us forward considerably in our effort to improve the welfare of young people in our countries".

The minister added: "They won't take us very far if we don't see to the implementation of the goals."

Minister Grange called for a continuation of the dialogue on youth development across the Caribbean for cultural exchange involving the sharing of best practices.

"Youth development must be a pre-eminent focus of all our countries. We are at a time when the youth voice matters, when the youth voice must be amplified, when the youth must be empowered, when the youth must be engaged and involved in the process of national and regional development," Grange urged.

The three-day forum, which started Sunday, was hosted by the Government of Jamaica in collaboration with UNESCO.