Youth issues on Commonwealth official's agenda

Erica Virtue, Senior Gleaner Writer

Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma arrived in Jamaica yesterday to begin the first leg of a six-day Caribbean visit with burning issues, involving the Commonwealth's youths, topping his agenda.

Sharma told The Gleaner in an interview from the United Kingdom that he hopes his visit will be a catalyst towards strengthening economic resilience among young people, who make up a significant percentage of the population in the Commonwealth.

According to him, extra attention will be paid to issues concerning the underachievement of boys during his discourse with heads of governments, ministers, speakers and opposition representatives.

In a press release ahead of his departure from the United Kingdom, he said, "My visit is a valuable opportunity to share practical ideas gleaned from some of the work we are already doing. I want to learn more about projects already under way in the Caribbean and to identify the ways in which our Commonwealth partnership can multiply the benefit. We will build on the proposals put forward last month at the Commonwealth Caribbean Conference 'Investing in Youth Employment'."

job creation a priority

According to Sharma, "Finding imaginative ways of creating jobs and skills development for the youth is a priority for the Commonwealth. This requires partnership between Government and the private sector and the Commonwealth can help build cooperation and collaboration. I'm particularly struck by the positive response in Commonwealth countries to innovative approaches by banks and financial institutions to mainstream youth involvement in the economic life of these countries."

Sharma's visit will also take him to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and St Vincent and the Grenadines in his first official visit to the Caribbean since he became secretary general in 2007.

"This year is particularly important between myself as secretary general and the leadership within the Caribbean because it is the year of the Commonwealth Summit in Perth, Australia, and at a time when the ambition levels which we have are going to be very high. For a secretary general, it is important for me to be able to sense the direction which the leadership in Jamaica would like to see in the summit," Sharma told The Gleaner.

He said Jamaica holds important positions on some of the issues involving youths in the Commonwealth, and it was important that he informed himself of those positions.

He had high praises for Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Deputy Prime Minister Dr Kenneth Baugh for the leadership they have given to some key commissions in the Commonwealth.

The secretary general will call on prime ministers Golding, Baldwin Spencer of Antigua and Barbuda, Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica and Dr Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines to discuss priorities for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Perth this October.

He will brief them on progress on mandates from the last leaders' meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, in 2009, such as the Network of Election Management Bodies and the Commonwealth Internet gateway, known as 'Commonwealth Connects'.

He will also meet representatives of the private sector and young people.