More than 40 youth from Latin America and the Caribbean converged on Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from July 21-23, 2003, for a consultation on issues affecting young people in preparation for the XII Conference of First Ladies, Wives and Representatives of Heads of State and Government of the Americas.
The purpose of this meeting was to allow youth leaders from various countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to identify priority health issues, including youth reproductive health and HIV/AIDS issues. The youth representatives also proposed practical suggestions about how the First Ladies of Latin America and the Caribbean can respond to these priority issues.
Further, the meeting provided a forum for youth and their adult counterparts to analyze and discuss the current situation of youth health based on youth-targeted programs and policies in the region.
The youth representatives, young people between the ages of 16 – 24, were chosen on the basis of their outstanding leadership work in youth organizations throughout the region.
While in the Dominican Republic, the youth representatives designed an outline for youth-adult partnerships in areas such as health, education, and employment. This outline provides a framework for the immediate implementation of programs, projects, and public policies that promote adolescent and youth development and that can catalyze governments effort at brining about sustainable human development in the region.
This framework will then be presented at the XII Conference of First Ladies, Wives, and Representatives of Heads of State and Government of Las Americas Conference in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in October 2003.
Partners include: YouthNet, FHI/IMPACT, PAHO/WHO, CONECTA, the Ministry of Youth of the Dominican Republic, and the Office of the First Lady of the Dominican Republic.
