Guyana’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson, participated in the Ministerial Roundtable of the 10th Annual ECOSOC Youth Forum
The Forum provides a global platform for a candid dialogue among Member States and young leaders from around the world on solutions to challenges affecting youth wellbeing. It also serves as a unique space for young people to share their vision and actions as well as to provide youth perspectives on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
The 2021 Forum’s discussions are guided by the overall theme of the 2021 ECOSOC and HLPF: “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: Building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”.
Full Statement by Hon. Minister Ramson -
Madame Chair,
This pandemic has reminded us that life is precious and has reinforced the role of collective action. Guyana is, therefore, pleased to have the opportunity to participate in the 10th United Nations Economic and Social Council Youth Forum and reaffirms its commitment to collective action.
Guyana has a large young population, and the Government of Guyana, led by many persons in their 30s and 40s, has a pronounced and pervasive youth development programme which, you would be happy to hear, is aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Specifically, there is youth emphasis in education, training, entrepreneurship grants, jobs, talent development, housing, and community-oriented activities. The Government of Guyana has also re-established the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to give an amplified voice for young people in the Cabinet and Parliament. Furthermore, His Excellency President Irfaan Ali, also in his early 40s, has announced for the first time in Guyana the establishment of a Youth Advisory Council.
Within that framework, the Government of Guyana has set targets of increasing free education from primary and secondary to include university by 2024, to providing 5,000 scholarships per year, to allocating 10,000 house lots per year, to training every year thousands of young people in the technical vocational institutions and to offering every year hundreds of small business grants including a Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurial project grant. The Government of Guyana also views sports and cultural activities as important passports for talent development and career opportunities for young people.
While there is a progressive advancement towards the SDGs and the UN 2030 Agenda, collective uncertainty exists amongst young people as the traditional world of work rapidly changes with rapid technological change. The pace of change and the uncertainty of the evolution of work has created challenges to the existing educational and training institutions. These challenges also require collective attention and collective action.
Mde Chair, on behalf of the Government of Guyana and all the young Guyanese, rest assured Guyana is a committed partner to collective action for collective solutions.
Best wishes to everyone from Guyana.