Mr. President,
Honorable Ministers Responsible for Youth,
Distinguished Delegates.

I take this opportunity to convey sincere felicitations from the Government and people of Sierra Leone to the Government and people of Portugal and to delegates of all member states.

Sierra Leone, which the Portuguese will call by its original name of Sierra Leoa, is in the West Coast of Africa with a land area of 28.000 square miles and a population of 4.7 million people. 68% of its people live in rural areas with small scale subsistence agricultural activity as the main source of employment. Mining industry, i.e. Bauxite, Rutile, Gold and Diamonds, employ 14% of the population, but accounts for 90 % of the nation's exports. With consistent social unrest and political instability, the economic performance of the country has steadily declined through the 1980's, from a growth rate of 14% per annum to a negative growth rate of 10% in 1995.

Some of the markers of this economic down turn at a time when the population growth rate was registered as 2.6% per annum are the Health and Educational Status of the country:

45% of the people now have no access to sanitation.

28% find it difficult to access health services.

Infant mortality rate is extremely high - 134/1000, and life expectancy is as low as 48 yrs.

50% of children of school going age are out of school

Adult literacy is quoted at 20%.

The outbreak of the Rebel war in 1991 and the coup of May 25 1997 cumulatively have had a devastating blow on an already bad situation. Young people were conscripted in large numbers in various fighting forces. They became the perpetrators of extreme violence and unbelievable atrocities, as was graphically shown in a special viewing on Sierra Leone held at the UN Headquarters in New York only last month.

Not surprisingly however, it was the young that were the main victims of these atrocities. A large number were maimed, amputated, separated from their families and traumatized. As the number that moved from rural settings into urban areas increased, sexual abuse and exploitation became common place, unwanted pregnancies became a social problem and sexual transmitted diseases became a significant health problem. Furthermore, the incidence and prevalence of drugs of abuse now becomes a social concern.

The youth in Sierra Leone are in crisis. Currently, they are a social and demographic group at risk, with an uncertain future, even though they should represent the country's greatest hope. Joblessness, after leaving school or graduation from college, adds to the frustration of the young. This is however related to the lack of the appropriate skill training in the previous educational system.

Recognizing this deficiency, Sierra Leone ratified the World Declaration on Education for All, declared in Jomtein, Thailand, and the declaration of the International Year of the Youth by the United Nations. This new vision for young people stressed the need to increase technical and vocational training and increased access to Tertiary Education as a means of improving relevance to our present day needs. These policies and programs are about to be put in place to address the issues of:

Increased access

Improved girls education

Civic education

Improved facilities for the handicapped and vulnerable

Distance Education Mass Literacy compaign

In June 1998, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, launched the "Youth in Crisis Consultative Process" in collaboration with NGO's - Action Aid, Conciliation Resources and UNICEF with the support of the World Bank in providing funding for initial Pilot Activities. The process has indicated an in depth consultative process on the situation of our youth with the view to designing a strategic framework to realize their potential.

It is hoped that implementation of these programs will empower young people to make informed decisions freely, take action based on those decisions and accept responsibility for those choices.

We in Sierra Leone therefore view this Conference as timely as we grapple with the problem of re-development in our youths, issues such as:

Aspiration to want to participate fully in their societies, and Encourage their imagination, ideals and vision, for the total benefit of our people and country.

A large proportion of these social issues will have to be tackled in ways that will transcend national boarders. We therefore need to work increasingly in partnership to fulfill the theme of Participation, Development and Peace.

I thank You all.