Caribbean Policy Development Centre agenda focuses on youth

Youth loomed large at the just concluded General Assembly of the Caribbean Policy Development Centre. Not only was their priority programme the only one to be adopted to the CPDC’s strategic policy agenda, their organisation was elected to the Board of Directors which will guide the work of the Centre until the next biennial assembly.{{more}}

Cecilia Babb, Executive Coordinator of CPDC, in supporting the call for a focus on Climate Change Adaptation at the Assembly which was held in Grenada from June 15th to 17th noted that the issue is part of the current global conjuncture in addition to the financial crisis.

Climate Change is affecting everyone on the planet and impacting the livelihoods of youth, farmers, women and other members of the CPDC network through increased frequency and severity of natural disasters and other hazards with implications for food sovereignty, water and sanitation in many Caribbean territories.

CPDC’s Assembly included a review workshop on its current policy priority on Trade Agreements, Sustainable Livelihoods, Governance and Gender Equality and affirmation of the relevance of members’ work programmes.

The new Board of Directors elected during the business session comprises the Windward Islands Farmers’ Association, St. Vincent; Inter-Agency Group of Development Organisations, Grenada; Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development, Trinidad and Tobago; Barbados Association of NGOs; and, Caribbean Youth Environmental Network, Barbados.

CPDC’s Assembly was preceded by two days of regional consultation in preparation for the Commonwealth People’s Forum which forms part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Trinidad and Tobago, November 2009. The consultation was attended by more than 40 representatives of trade unions and NGOs from CARICOM member states. Civil society concerns identified for attention of the CHOGM include the need for an Alternative Development Model rooted in Caribbean Culture, Migration and Decent Work, Gender Equality, Sustainable Livelihoods, and attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. The Caribbean Civil Society Consultation was sponsored by the Commonwealth Foundation, a partner of the Caribbean Policy Development Centre.