This morning Youth delegates for Guyana and Young Influencers attached to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Sarah Ann Dhanraj and Nkosi Jupiter, presented at a Youth Event in the margins of the United Nations 60th Session of the Commission for Social Development, speaking on the role of youth in tackling poverty and hunger at local, regional and international level.
The event was was organized by the Permanent Mission of Portugal, the Delegation of the European Union, UN DESA and the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.
Speakers for the event included Chair of the Commission for Social Development, UN DESA Under-Secretary-general, Chief Economist, FAO, Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Permanent Representative of Portugal, Head of Delegation of the European Union and Youth Delegates from various countries .
The event was was organized by the Permanent Mission of Portugal, the Delegation of the European Union, UN DESA and the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth.
Sarah Dhanraj and Nkosi Jupiter, Youth delegates and Young Influencers attached to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security speak at a Youth Event held within the margins of the United Nations 60th Session of the Commission for Social Development
Poverty and hunger are long-standing battles that cannot be won overnight but demand the effort, time, awareness and participation of everyone, especially the youth. Poverty manifests in different ways such as food insecurity leading to hunger, lack of access to healthcare and quality education, violence and abuse, and gender inequality.
An educated, skilled and empowered youth population can make greater contributions to country and community. Doors are opened for better job opportunities that allow for improved living standards for the individual and their family.
In Guyana, girls are fortunate to have the same access to education as their male counterparts, with an increasing number of girls pursuing studies in STEM, even though this does not always translate into jobs and opportunities for leadership. Constant advocacy is required in this regard.
To ensure that the government addresses the specific needs of youth, more young people should be included in policymaking, and greater efforts made to incorporate their perspectives and ideas.
Nkosi and I are part of the Young Influencers program of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security in Guyana. Through the programme, we accompanied the Minister on community outreaches and interacted with young people across the country and gained firsthand knowledge of various issues affecting Guyana's vulnerable populations. We were trained in public speaking and communication techniques as well as sensitized in the areas of human rights, trafficking in persons and gender stereotypes.
We created Youth Unfiltered, a television and social media campaign that addresses pressing concerns of our youth population and highlights youth achievers and change-makers, chronicling their struggles.
These experiences have shown us how inclusion and encouragement can empower young people to make positive changes.
In relation to hunger, youths can play pivotal roles through messaging and campaigns that sensitize persons about good nutrition, avoidance of food wastage and the importance of helping those in need. In Guyana, young entrepreneurs have developed mobile apps that notify persons of discounts on excess food in grocery stores. This provides greater access to affordable food while helping owners to avoid food waste.
Encouraging youth to pursue careers in the fields of agriculture and sustainable food production will contribute to food security.
To summarize, poverty and hunger appear to be intractable challenges, but by combining basic approaches with contemporary technology and enlisting everyone's help, poverty and hunger can be eliminated.
----