PORT OF SPAIN – Participants of the Youth Forum of the Americas, a meeting of young people from throughout the western hemisphere held in the context of the Fifth Summit of the Americas, presented the Youth Declaration of Commitment to Heads of State and Government at the Dialogue between Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Social Actors on Friday April 17, 2009

The Declaration outlines the recommendations of young people regarding the priority themes of the Fifth Summit of the Americas: Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Security. The recommendations included in the Declaration were taken from a series of sub-regional consultative dialogues among young people held across the region between October and December, 2008, and from working groups convened during the Youth Forum of the Americas.

Youth Forum participants hope that the Declaration will be adopted throughout the hemisphere and lead to increased cooperation between young people and their respective governments in shaping and implementing new policies

Among the recommendations in the Declaration, young people of the Americas:

• Call upon governments to reform education systems to better equip students and educators for the realities and demands of life and the global marketplace by developing relevant learning approaches and activities
• Request that governments work more strenuously towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, with special attention paid to goals 2, 4 and 6, which refer to achieving universal education, reducing child mortality and combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases, respectively;
• Commit to volunteer our time and energy in productive efforts to strengthen our communities and assist others;
• Recommend that governments regulate the production of bio-fuels so as to mitigate pollution, forest degradation and food insecurity;
• Demand that stricter policies be implemented in the agricultural sector geared towards the elimination of the use of chemical products and methods that have an adverse effect on the environment;

The request of Young People to institutionalize the Youth Forum of the Americas so it will be held every two years either in parallel to the OAS General Assembly or the Summit of the Americas, was well received and supported by Delegations during their interventions.

The complete Declaration of Commitment, as well as reports from the sub-regional dialogues, can be found online at www.youngamericasforum.com

Young people themselves were the principal actors, being present on each panel and leading the discussions towards the Youth Declaration of Port of Spain, 2009 and its Plan of Action. The Forum dialogues were centered on topics concerning youth entrepreneurship, the promotion of technologies for connecting the Americas, corporate social responsibility, business best practices, youth migration, ethic in business, opportunities for young people in energy, environment and new sources of energy development.

The Youth Forum of the Americas was coordinated by the Young Americas Business Trust, National Summit Secretariat of Trinidad and Tobago and the OAS Summits of the Americas Secretariat.

YABT is a non-profit organization that supports the work of the OAS by promoting leadership and entrepreneurship among young people as a way to address economic and social development in the Americas.

According to Valerie Lorena, YABT Director of Policy and Leadership, the Youth Forum of the Americas marks a new chapter in the participation of young people in policy making processes. "At the Fourth Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, young people did contribute to the Summit through an extensive and inclusive participation process. As a result, YABT continued orchestrating events and consultations to open participatory channels for young people, including a series of sub-regional dialogues and online consultations that preceded the 2009 Youth Forum of the Americas".

She continued, "At the Forum in Trinidad and Tobago, prior to the Fifth Summit young people had an unique opportunity to be part official Summit events, presenting as a group themselves to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OAS"

The Forum attracted over 400 young people and representatives from organizations involved in the development of youth, for a series of interactive presentations, networking events, panels, working groups and exhibitions.