The Latin America and Caribbean
Youth Leadership Summit
We know that humankind always pursues the
future with hope. And the most illuminated window
that moves us forward is the youth."
— Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, like those in other regions, are taking steps to fulfill the promises 190 governments made at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000 to cut extreme poverty by half, achieve universal primary education, empower women, reduce maternal and infant mortality rates, reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, and ensure environmental sustainability by 2015. In this endeavour, youth - who comprise a sizeable and growing proportion representing more than one-fifth of the total population - have a vital role to play, given their dynamism, imagination, idealism and role as the conscience of society.
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will only be possible through a mobilization of all sectors of society, including groups affected by exclusion and inequality. Though they represent the 21st century's first generation of leaders and are often extremely effective in grassroots outreach, the voices, possible contributions and needs of young people are often ignored. That is why the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations New York Office of Sport for Development and Peace - a new unit which reaches out to the media, the private sector, sports personalities, as well as artistic and cultural leaders as a tool for improving the quality of people's lives - and their partners have decided to engage young people in the drive to reach the Goals. Working with the Global Peace Initiative of Women, they are cultivating and supporting a new movement by youth and youth-related organizations that contributes to achieving the MDGs. The Latin America and Caribbean Youth Leadership Summit aims to help the youth leaders in the region face these challenges and will enable young men and women to develop and implement programmes and to connect youth movements to achieve the MDGs and provide a global platform for their voices.
Overview
Over the last two decades, Latin America and the Caribbean - home to one of the
largest populations of young people in the world - has achieved significant progress
toward the establishment of democratic regimes in the region. This is largely due to
the mobilization of civil society, local governments, organizations and young people,
who are leading the way toward a more participatory and inclusive society. However,
the stability of many of these democracies remains fragile due to the increasing social
problems that plague the region, including the rising poverty levels, the increased
prevalence of HIV/AIDS, especially among people in the 25 - 44 age group, along
with unemployment, drug trafficking and the eruption of internal violence. The
region also faces a number of emergent challenges such as environmental degradation
and pollution, as well as persistent problems including gender, racial and socioeconomic
inequality, which, if not addressed, could become unmanageable, reversing the gains
made in economic and human development in the last decade. The next generation of
leaders will need all the guidance they can get to build a hopeful future
The Latin America and Caribbean Youth Leadership Summit seeks to identify,
mobilize and support young leaders, giving them access to training, knowledge,
networks and skills to meet the challenges facing their countries and communities,
creating an environment for debate and the development of proposals. Responding to
the most critical problems confronting the world, the United Nations General
Assembly has adopted the Millennium Development Goals, to be achieved by 2015.
They are: 1) eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, 2) achieve universal primary
education, 3) promote gender equality and empower women, 4) reduce child
mortality, 5) improve maternal health, 6) combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other
diseases, 7) ensure environmental sustainability and 8) develop a global partnership
for development. One way in which the United Nations is encouraging and supporting
countries in their quest to fulfill these promises and achieve a more peaceful,
prosperous and sustainable world community is through young people.
The Summit forms an important part of Latin America Caribbean 2015, an initiative
of the UN New York Office of Sport for Development and Peace to boost ongoing
efforts and trigger bold new steps to support achieving the Millennium
Development Goals in the region. A critical challenge is HIV/AIDS, where early
policy response can save millions of lives. This is an area where young people have
to take the lead. The Summit looks at how the MDGs are faring in Latin American
and Caribbean countries and what projects youth leaders and youth movements
can initiate and/or contribute to increase the momentum.
Summit Opportunities
The Summit is the third in a series of regional youth leadership gatherings that will
culminate in a Global Youth Leadership Summit on 28 – 31 August 2006 at the
United Nations in New York, just prior to the convening of the UN General
Assembly, which will continue to examine progress of developing countries towards
achieving the MDGs.
The first gathering–the Pan-African Youth Leadership Summit held in Dakar, Senegal, from 27 – 30 June 2004 – brought together more than 100 young leaders from African countries. During the Dakar Summit, African youth were signed on as MDG advocates. They committed themselves to full involvement in mobilizing their societies to halve poverty by 2015 and protect themselves and others from the spread of HIV/AIDS in order to help save the next generation of African leaders from this scourge. The second region to be mobilized was Asia and the Pacific. The Pan-Asian Youth Leadership Summit took place in Hiroshima, Japan’s City of Peace, bringing together young leaders from 27 countries in Asia and the Pacific from 19 – 21 September 2004.
LACYLS Brochure » PDF
LACYLS Program » PDF
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