 “What kind of world do you want to make?” This was one of the questions that the United Nations’ Secretary General, His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon called on the youth of the Caribbean to ponder in his first address at The University of the West Indies’ Cave Hill Campus.
His Excellency was speaking at a historic symposium that was held to facilitate direct interaction and communication between the Secretary General and the united youth voice of the Caribbean. Hosted under the theme Caribbean Youth Speak: The World We Want Post-2015, topics of major importance such as youth unemployment, climate change, violence and gender inequality were addressed. Students from The UWI’s other campuses participated via video conferencing and joined the dialogue by posing questions of their own to the Secretary General.
With one fifth of the Caribbean population between the ages of 15 and 24 and with half of the global population under the age of 25, His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon described the world that we live in as one that is very young. In an appeal to those in attendance His Excellency emphasized the need for immediate action towards change by saying, “We are at a tipping point, depending on where we go- we may be okay or we may have to regret the tragedies that occur for your generation.”
Youth unemployment was a major topic of concern and students posed questions to the Secretary General about the issue in the local, regional and international contexts. His Excellency offered practical solutions and approaches that governments across the Caribbean region can adopt as a means of tackling the growing problem. Among his recommendations was the call for increased partnerships between governments and the private sector business communities and the investment in youth skills development. When asked directly about what the United Nations can and has been doing to help combat the issue, two programmes were highlighted: the UN Young Professionals Programme and the youth arm of the UN Volunteers programme, both of which offer opportunities for young people across the globe.
The Secretary General painted the picture of a potentially grim future should climate change continue to advance at its current rate. He explained that while many persons see a two millimeter per year rise in sea levels as negligible, when projected into the future this continued rise could lead to the disappearance of low lying islands and shoreline cities. When questioned further about what is being done to safeguard the Caribbean islands the Secretary General empathized that while these countries have not heavily contributed to the growing problem they are among the most heavily impacted. He stressed the importance of a legally binding global climate agreement that the UN will be seeking to materialize at the World Climate Summit in Paris, December 2015.
The Secretary General encouraged the youth of the Caribbean to pursue their passions but to do so with compassion. He reminded them that they are not just citizens of Barbados or Trinidad and Tobago, but that they also belong to a wider global community and they should continue to be mindful of not only those in their immediate communities but also those in poorer countries that are lesser developed than their own. He encouraged them to dream big but in doing so always keep their feet firmly planted on the ground. His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon called on the youth of the Caribbean to continue to raise their voices in the fight for a better today and an even brighter tomorrow.
Shereen Ali is a projects & events Officer in The University’s Marketing and Communications office on the St Augustine Campus. |
