Image: Participants of the Caribbean Congress on Adolescent and Youth Health (CCAYH), November 2019

Caribbean youth advocates have called for action on areas of priority for their peers with the launch of the Caribbean Roadmap for Adolescent and Youth Health:  Championing Our Wealth: Promoting the Health and Well-Being of Adolescents and Youth in the Caribbean.

Approximately two hundred Youth congress participants, including policymakers, international and regional partners were involved in three days of discussion in November 2019, which culminated with the launch of the Roadmap on Monday 19 October 2020.  The launch showcased the involvement of young advocates in the design, moderation and content of the event. It was hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Dr Frank Anthony, Minister of Health (Guyana), officially launched the Roadmap and commended the young people and partners for the collective wisdom encapsulated in the Roadmap. “I want to thank PAHO/WHO, CARICOM and UN Partners for their leadership in this process. I urge you to continue the advocacy for political prioritisation and the integration of these recommendations into national development plans.  While COVID-19 compounds the challenges before us, we have an opportunity of using this Roadmap to usher future generations into a cleaner and healthier Caribbean.  Can we do it? Yes, we can!” stated Dr Anthony.

Nothing for us, without us!

Five Caribbean youth advocates including Pierre Cooke Jnr., Christopher Gilkes, Michelle Belfor, Jean Sano Santana and Renatta Langlais, took part in the launch and focused their discussions on the four tracks contained in the Roadmap: mental health, substance use, violence and injuries; sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV and STI; nutrition, physical activity, sports and youth development; and climate change and the environment.

The purpose of the Roadmap is to provide strategic guidance on actions Member States should take to address adolescent health in their local setting