9/08/1998

I am very pleased to be in this beautiful country for this important First World Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth being held under the auspices of the United Nations and hosted by the Government of Portugal.

I would therefore, like to 'congratulate and thank the Government of Portugal for hosting this Conference.

The fact that so many of us have accepted the invitation to come here to discuss the World Programme of Action for 2000 and beyond is evidence of our appreciation of the leadership role that the Government of Portugal has taken and its declared concern for the future of the World's Youth.

Just over two (2) months ago I had the privilege to participate in the Third Commonwealth Youth Ministers' Meeting in Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia. That meeting had as its primary focus "the Empowerment of Youth for the New Millennium" and included in its recommendations were:

a)   measures to strengthen social support systems and collaboration between key stake holders in youth empowerment.
b)   the development and strengthening of National Youth Ministries, National Youth Policies and legislative and/or administrative frameworks impacting on Youth Affairs.
c)   the promotion of full participation by young people, particularly those in vulnerable circumstances, in decision-making at all levels including communities and local, provincial and national governments.
d)   affirmative and direct action to ensure gender .equity and equality of treatment and outcomes for young people in special circumstances.
e)  measures to improve young people's access to information and communication technology.
f)   the encouragement of youth participation in sporting and cultural activities as a means of promoting positive values and advancing human development.

If we are to learn from and build upon the positive output of previous forums, then this Lisbon Declaration which we hope to have consensus on at this meeting must acknowledge these actions and deliberations and take us further forward in our quest for the full empowerment of young people.

Yes, our young men and women aspire to full participation in the life of society and this international gathering is of immense significance in the furtherance of the realization of this aspiration.

Because almost 85 percent of the world's young people live in developing countries, opportunities for education and training often remain limited. There also exists an imbalance, in many countries, between education and the needs of the work place. Consequently

unemployment rates are high in practically every country and it is this unemployment that often generates a sense of hopelessness and often contributes to social stress.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are all well aware of the political, economic and social changes taking place throughout the world since the 1970's. Further the impact of structural adjustment mechanisms and globalization with its element of market forces continue to marginalise the young people of our regions.

Standards of education, health care, and social infrastructure are eroded as resources diminish. This erosion of public services has been detrimental to all, particularly the poor and the young who are dependent on those services and have fewer alternatives for meeting their basic needs than other social groups.

It is within this context therefore, that I congratulate the United Nations and other international Organizations which have drafted this policy framework on a World Programme of Action for Youth.

The youth situation demands constructive national action with international support if the opportunities for their full and effective development are to be addressed.

My Government is fully committed to addressing the challenges confronting our young people in Trinidad & Tobago. It recognizes that to successfully confront these challenges we must have higher levels of growth - quality growth.

In this respect expanding opportunities for education and skills development are among the major objectives of our Government. To this end the Government has embarked upon a reform of the education system with a focus on training and skills upgrading.

In the field of training the main element of my Government's policy are:

a)   the development of an inter programme linkage to foster greater coordination;
b)   rationalization of training programmes;
c)   standardisation of accreditation for all training programmes and ensuring that training programmes are in line with the country's needs.

The creation of a science consciousness and a technological culture is also crucial for the development of an innovative and competitive economy.

As part of the creation of this new Culture, Government is in the process of formulating a National Policy on Science and Technology for Trinidad and Tobago.

My Government also regards health care as a basic human right. The vision for health care in Trinidad & Tobago is that it should be available, accessible and affordable.

Additionally the Government has implemented several programmes to:

a)   increase employment
b)   encourage self reliance
c)   preserve the dignity of the individual
d)   promote a sense of community and allow non-governmental and community based organizations to participate in the design and implementation of social programmes.

Strategies already in operation to give effect to the new thrust are:

a)   financing of a Community Development Fund which operates like a Social Investment Fund and finances projects in low income areas;
b)   support for micro enterprises;
c)   promoting of self esteem and positive attitudes among young people by, inter alia, investing in the continuation of sporting and youth training facilities.

In respect of the National Youth Policy, my Government recently appointed a Committee, which includes several young persons, to hold extensive consultations with the many stake holders, particularly the young, for the purpose of drafting a Youth Policy for Trinidad and Tobago.

The Committee has been requested to

a)   undertake extensive research of the several issues affecting young people;
b)   network with local, regional and international agencies.

We expect this initiative to be an important catalyst for young people to engage in the formation of Community based Organizations which will network with other local and international agencies in the development of their programmes.

My government is particularly concerned about the growing numbers of young people who are being marginalised and has initiated a pilot project in suburban Communities aimed at integrating young people into mainstream society.

You may well ask what are our expectations from this project but we have asked the young people in those communities 'what are their expectations'.

We in the Ministry of Sport & Youth Affairs of Trinidad & Tobago see ourselves as the facilitators of the programmes which will impact on the future of the young people of Trinidad & Tobago.

We are determined that our projects will no longer be reactive but collaborative, creative, focussed on skill acquisition and employment earning. To make these goals more achievable we also launched a youth business facility project called (DYMEP) District Youth Micro Enterprise Project, the pilot phase of which has been evaluated and we are about to embark on the main project later this year.

We also have a Super 5 Project which promotes the Five (5) sports of Football, Cricket, Netball, Basketball and Track & Field to encourage young people into a more productive lifestyle, supported by classes in numeracy and literacy.

This programme has been in existence for over two (2) years in nearly all the communities in Trinidad & Tobago and continues an upward growth path fuelled by requests from groups and organizations to get involved.

The responses to this programme have resulted in other Government Agencies and private sector organizations offering increased opportunities for young people to improve their status and increase their self-worth.

We in the Ministry are very pleased about this, because as you well know, the Government, the Non-governmental Organizations, the Private Sector, none of us can do it alone. There must be collaborative and group efforts for programmes to be impactful, meaningful and most important sustainable.

Coming together at fora such as this one, facilitates sharing and learning about each others successes and failures in our striving to empower our young people and preparing them for the future challenges.

The Lisbon Declaration will hopefully be another significant milestone for youth empowerment and also a well thought out plan for helping our countries to achieve our individual National goals as well as our collective objectives for the World's young people.

We must also take into consideration recommendations which have come out of the Youth Forum which preceded this Assembly and I look forward to hearing and learning from the presentations which have preceded mine and those to come.

Colleagues, Ladies & Gentlemen, I thank you for your attention and close with the quotation from the 1992 Youth Policy of India which to my mind so clearly states what we are all about and I quote:

"For your country
If you plan for a year - sow paddy
If you plan for a decade -plant trees
If you plan for the future - nurture youth"