Jamaican State Minister calls for greater youth participation to attain SDGs

State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Floyd Green, is calling for greater youth participation in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said that young people have been vocal on social issues across various social media platforms, and challenged them to turn discourse into action.

“If we are really going to achieve those goals, our young people will have to act, both in Jamaica and across the rest of the world. Yes, we want them to continue to speak. Their voice continues to matter, but we also want them to act in their schools and in their communities. Choose a goal that is near and dear to their hearts and do something related to it. Be innovative; be creative,” he urged while speaking at a United Nations (UN) Day 2018 event at the University of Technology (UTech), St. Andrew.

The SDGs, also known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people can enjoy peace and prosperity.

These goals have been integrated in the Vision 2030 national development plan, which is the strategic road map to guide the country in attaining developed country status.

Green said “the Government stands ready to help facilitate action that will help our young people to achieve their true potential and that will help all of us as a society to achieve our Vision 2030”.

UN Resident Coordinator, Bruno Pouezat, said the UN Day event aimed to amplify distribution of information on the work of the international organisation and the SDGs through its UN Club movement.

“We brought together the young people of Jamaica to share their common interest in the SDGs to ensure that Jamaica pursues and remains on track to achieve the SDGs by 2030. We have had excellent participation by schools across the country,” he said.

The event, hosted by UN Jamaica in partnership with the United Nations Association of Jamaica (UNAJ), was attended by students from 14 high schools across the island, including those with operational UN Clubs.

It featured exhibitions by the UN agencies resident in Jamaica, Ministry of Health’s ‘Jamaica Moves’, Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) and Vision 2030 Jamaica, and other local partners.

Observed under the theme ‘Youth Action on the SDGs’, UN Day 2018 was held to encourage high-school students to take their place in advancing action on the SDGs and introduce them to the work and mission of the UN.

UN Day commemorates the anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945.

With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the UN officially came into being. October 24 has been celebrated as UN Day since 1948.