(PR) – Two young Vincentians are slated to speak at this year’s United Nations’ ECOSOC Youth Forum. Franz George, the Caribbean and Americas Region Representative of the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC) and Dr. Dalano DaSouza, Finance and Economic Research, and lecturer at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill Campus will join other young speakers from Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad and Tobago at the Caribbean Session. The session will be held on April 8th, 2021 from 11:20 AM (Trinidad and Tobago, Atlantic Standard Time GMT-04:00).
This year the ECOSOC Youth Forum will be held virtually and aims to identify critical challenges, solutions and opportunities for youth in a context of COVID-19. The Caribbean session, guided by the speakers, will contribute to this aim by making contributions from the region’s unique perspective.
The Vincentian speakers along with the other youth leaders who will attend the forum, will elaborate a set of recommendations for UN member states. This gives the youth an opportunity to positively influence the policies that will be implemented at the UN level, as well as in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). By having young Vincentians present in the forum, Vincentian youth will be well represented in this policy making process and given a chance to let the world hear their voice.
Both George and DaSouza feel that this year’s forum is critical in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. When asked about his views on the forum, Mr. George, explains that “Change has always been catalysed by young people’s voices and the ECOSOC Youth Forum gives youth the opportunity to amplify their voices even more”.
He further explained that “It is critical that youth are particularly vocal in this year’s forum because they have been left vulnerable because of the COVID-19 pandemic”. Similarly, Dr. DaSouza shares that “the onus is on youth to collectively raise their voices to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic does not derail the youth agenda”.
The ECOSOC Youth Forum is convened annually by the President of United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and is co-organized by several UN agencies that focus on youth. It provides a global platform for a candid dialogue among United Nation Member States and young leaders from around the world on solutions to challenges affecting youth wellbeing. It also serves as a unique space for young people to share their vision and actions as well as to provide youth perspectives on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
Facilitated and organized by The United Nations (UN) Major Group for Children and Youth (UN MGCY), in collaboration with several other regionally based UN agencies, as well as the Caribbean Regional Youth Council (CRYC), and the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC), the Caribbean Session of the ECOSOC Youth Forum 2021 will focus on “Sustainable and Resilient Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic”
The Caribbean Session can be viewed via the UN WebTV or on Webex. Details to view on Webex are as follows:
ECOSOC Youth Forum – Caribbean Session
Thursday, April 8, 2021
11:20 AM (UTC-04:00) Georgetown, La Paz, Manaus, New York, Port of Spain, San Juan
