St. Kitts hosts Conference on Respect and Understanding

By Melissa Bryant
Reporter~SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN an effort to promote and foster tolerance among Commonwealth Caribbean states, the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP) organised a consultative meeting on Respect and Understanding (R&U) for the Caribbean region.

The three-day conference, which commenced yesterday (Nov. 19) at the Royal St. Kitts Hotel and Casino, drew approximately 45 youth representatives and members of regional non-governmental organisations and coalitions from 17 countries.

Day One dealt with Understanding the Theory and Practice behind Respect and Understanding, Understanding and Promoting Respect and Understanding, and Implementation and Good Practice of Respect and Understanding.

Discussion topics include Defining Respect and Understanding, Role of the Media and Communication, Young People and Education and Devising and Customising a Regional Implementation Agenda.

Regional Director of the CYP Henry Charles outlined the history behind the conference. “In 2005 the Commonwealth Heads of Government mandated that a report on Respect and Understanding should be commissioned, and in 2007 the Heads approved the report that was submitted, which is entitled “Paths to Promoting Peace.

~~Adz:Right~~ These consultative meetings were organised in order to foster awareness and stimulate discussion of the report,” said Charles.He added that in today’s world of terrorism and conflict, it is important to highlight the youth’s role in promoting respect and understanding so that they could treat others with dignity, create a more tolerant environment and appreciate that their experiences and beliefs would not be shared by everyone else.

The conference began with a brief opening ceremony in which Osmond Petty, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, noted that “the majority of our population are youth and so we need to encourage their interaction on social issues”.

According to Petty, those issues include male marginalisation, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, promiscuity, breakdown in the family structure and a general feeling of hopelessness among youth.

“We are working towards a country that protects its heritage and family structure, that has universal access to healthcare, a sound education system, accountable governance and where youth can develop personal social identities and participate in decision-making processes,” Petty declared.

Although he was absent, the presence of Minister of Education Hon. Sam Condor was still felt as Director of Youth Geoffrey Hanley delivered [his] remarks in his stead.

Condor likened the delegates to “artists, with [their] ideas as the brushes, [their] energy and ideas as the colours and the canvas a world of escalating crime and violence and other manifestations of moral breakdown in the community”.

He encouraged participants to express their creativity so that “a picture of beaming hope and promise could be painted”.