Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Please Check Against Delivery
STATEMENT
by
Ms. Rueanna Haynes
Second Secretary
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
To the United Nations
Session 4
Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
“Employment and decent work, youth, social protection,
education and culture
✺✺✺✺✺✺
United Nations Headquarters
17 June, 2013
2
Mr. Co-Chair,
I speak on behalf of the 14 Member States of the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM).
CARICOM acknowledges the important linkages between employment and
decent work, youth, social protection, education and culture. In our view
joint consideration of these themes covers a broad spectrum of the
sustainable development agenda at the national and regional levels.
Additionally, the nexus between education, youth and job creation
constitutes fertile ground for furthering the MDG education agenda and
enabling the global community to build on the progress already made in
this area.
Governments of the region are already engaged in addressing
employment and decent work, youth, social protection, education and
culture in an integrated manner through the promotion of entrepreneurship
and innovation, which targets vulnerable groups such as women and
youth. Leveraging culture as a contributor to development and a potential
driver of entrepreneurship and job creation is also under active
consideration in many countries of the region, however, several challenges
remain and further work is required with strengthening the capacity of the
creative industries to contribute to economic growth.
Mr. Co Chair,
Youth unemployment, and related issues that affect youth, such as
poverty, inadequate education systems and poor health care constitute
major development challenges for CARICOM. This is especially so since
young people under the age of 30 comprise approximately 60 per cent of
the region’s population. CARICOM Governments are therefore committed
to tackling all youth related issues as a matter of priority, and are of the
view that:
- Young people should be at the centre of development policy, planning
and implementation.
- Youth development and empowerment should be prioritized and well
resourced, and countries’ performance in youth development should be
monitored and reported on.
- National youth employment policies should be linked to national
3
macroeconomic development plans and young people should be involved
in national and local-level labour policies and programmes.
Youth development must be adequately represented in the post 2015
global development agenda and, as a result of the myriad developing
issues which affect youth, could be considered as a cross cutting issue.
Consequently, youth related indicators could be a useful way of addressing
all issues relating to youth in the context of possible sustainable
development goals.
Mr Co Chair,
CARICOM supports the assessment of the TST Issues Brief that social
protection is one of the foundations for inclusive equitable and sustainable
development and that it can play a transformative role in addressing, not
only symptoms, but causes of poverty and social exclusion. It is clear that
this issue is a cross cutting one which should be considered throughout the
spectrum of future sustainable development goals.
CARICOM reiterates its full support for the employment and decent work
agenda and remains open to the consideration of a stand-alone goal on
employment and decent work which could include appropriate targets or
indicators on social protection and prioritise the needs of vulnerable
groups. In our view such a goal could also address:
- job creation and the promotion of entrepreneurship as top priorities;
- targets and indicators in the areas of education and skills training which
would stimulate action to improve the linkages between curriculum
development and labour market demands;
- the role of culture as a driver of development and the linkages
between culture and entrepreneurship and job creation
I thank you
STATEMENT
by
Ms. Rueanna Haynes
Second Secretary
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
To the United Nations
Session 4
Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
“Employment and decent work, youth, social protection,
education and culture
✺✺✺✺✺✺
United Nations Headquarters
17 June, 2013
2
Mr. Co-Chair,
I speak on behalf of the 14 Member States of the Caribbean Community
(CARICOM).
CARICOM acknowledges the important linkages between employment and
decent work, youth, social protection, education and culture. In our view
joint consideration of these themes covers a broad spectrum of the
sustainable development agenda at the national and regional levels.
Additionally, the nexus between education, youth and job creation
constitutes fertile ground for furthering the MDG education agenda and
enabling the global community to build on the progress already made in
this area.
Governments of the region are already engaged in addressing
employment and decent work, youth, social protection, education and
culture in an integrated manner through the promotion of entrepreneurship
and innovation, which targets vulnerable groups such as women and
youth. Leveraging culture as a contributor to development and a potential
driver of entrepreneurship and job creation is also under active
consideration in many countries of the region, however, several challenges
remain and further work is required with strengthening the capacity of the
creative industries to contribute to economic growth.
Mr. Co Chair,
Youth unemployment, and related issues that affect youth, such as
poverty, inadequate education systems and poor health care constitute
major development challenges for CARICOM. This is especially so since
young people under the age of 30 comprise approximately 60 per cent of
the region’s population. CARICOM Governments are therefore committed
to tackling all youth related issues as a matter of priority, and are of the
view that:
- Young people should be at the centre of development policy, planning
and implementation.
- Youth development and empowerment should be prioritized and well
resourced, and countries’ performance in youth development should be
monitored and reported on.
- National youth employment policies should be linked to national
3
macroeconomic development plans and young people should be involved
in national and local-level labour policies and programmes.
Youth development must be adequately represented in the post 2015
global development agenda and, as a result of the myriad developing
issues which affect youth, could be considered as a cross cutting issue.
Consequently, youth related indicators could be a useful way of addressing
all issues relating to youth in the context of possible sustainable
development goals.
Mr Co Chair,
CARICOM supports the assessment of the TST Issues Brief that social
protection is one of the foundations for inclusive equitable and sustainable
development and that it can play a transformative role in addressing, not
only symptoms, but causes of poverty and social exclusion. It is clear that
this issue is a cross cutting one which should be considered throughout the
spectrum of future sustainable development goals.
CARICOM reiterates its full support for the employment and decent work
agenda and remains open to the consideration of a stand-alone goal on
employment and decent work which could include appropriate targets or
indicators on social protection and prioritise the needs of vulnerable
groups. In our view such a goal could also address:
- job creation and the promotion of entrepreneurship as top priorities;
- targets and indicators in the areas of education and skills training which
would stimulate action to improve the linkages between curriculum
development and labour market demands;
- the role of culture as a driver of development and the linkages
between culture and entrepreneurship and job creation
I thank you
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