Delegate: Mr. Haribajan
State: Suriname
32. Mr. Haribajan (Suriname), speaking as a youth delegate, said that the National Youth Institute served as both a consultative body of youth and a monitoring mechanism of youth policy, ensuring the Government received input from young people in the formulation of that policy. The National Youth Parliament, which was recognized in national legislation, organized an annual Youth Congress — an open forum for young people to engage in direct discussions with and provide recommendations to policymakers, ministers with responsibility for youth issues, the President and the Vice-President.
33. The National Youth Parliament had participated in capacity building and skills training for young people and held discussions with the Ministry of Education. Following its recommendation to improve access to information and communications technology, concrete actions had been taken to provide laptops and Internet services to schools and youth in various parts of Suriname. In cooperation with several actors, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a project focusing on youth at risk, school dropouts and youth in conflict with the law had been implemented. A confidential hotline for youth had been established. A debate had been started in the National Youth Parliament on the contribution of young people regarding the post-2015 development agenda, and recommendations would be provided to the authorities.
34. The Council for Human and Social Development of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) had mentioned Suriname, the portfolio holder in community development and cultural cooperation, as demonstrating best practice for youth participation. Suriname had played an active role in building a bridge between the young people of CARICOM and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), placing youth high on the agenda during its chairmanship of UNASUR and hosting the first UNASUR Youth Summit in November 2013.
UN Doc.: A/C.3/69/SR.3
Cite as:
UN Doc.: A/C.3/69/SR.3, 8 October 2014, p. 6, Youth Delegate Search: https://youthdelegatesearch.org/suriname-2014/, doi: 10.17176/20221018-193338-0.