(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) President of the Republic of Suriname and Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), His Excellency Desi Delano Bouterse is hosting a high level youth exchange between CARICOM youth leaders and young people from the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in Suriname on Thursday and Friday.

The meeting will be held under the theme: Youth participation for the development of our region; developing our region through cultural connections.

President Bouterse who has lead responsibility for youth development in the quasi cabinet of the CARICOM Conference of Heads of Government will himself facilitate the dialogue, which aims to deepen relations between CARICOM and UNASUR youth, share best practices and build the leadership capacity of young people in both regions.

The CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque will also participate in the dialogue from his office in Guyana via the internet.

More than 30 CARICOM Youth Ambassadors will join young people from the 12-member grouping of UNASUR, which includes Guyana, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and Chile to exchange views on education, job creation, unemployment, youth policies and structures; youth leadership and governance, cultural integration, and explore ways in forging stronger partnerships in both regions.

The Exchange will also be used as a platform to promote the successes of CARICOM youth and demonstrate how they are integrated in the decision-making process. In this regard, Youth leaders from UNASUR will also be benchmarking the CARICOM Youth Ambassador Programme as well as the Suriname’s Youth Parliament model of youth governance which has been singled out as a regional best practice.

During the opening ceremony of the High Level Youth Exchange 32 CARICOM Youth Ambassadors will be officially installed by President Bouterse.

The High Level Youth Exchange follows a three-day planning and capacity building meeting for CARICOM Youth Ambassadors. The meeting, supported by the UNDP Youth-IN Project, ended on Wednesday and saw CYAs revising their vision and mission statements; strengthening their institutional framework to include an advisory body and more strategic links to the CARICOM Heads of Government for a greater role in the influencing of regional policies; and establishing a regional social network to mobilize regional youth.