The UWI hosted an historic meeting between the Secretary-General of the United Nations and youth of the region, held in person at the Cave Hill Campus and accessible simultaneously by video-conference at the Mona, St. Augustine, and Open Campus sites across the region.
The UN Chief was in Barbados for the 36th CARICOM Heads of Governments Summit. He took the time to engage university students and representatives of youth organisations across the region on the theme "Caribbean Youth Speak: The World We Want Post -2015". The Secretary-General engaged students on a range of pressing issues, including youth unemployment, non-communicable diseases, gender equality, gender violence, climate change, vulnerabilities of small island states, alternative sources of energy, and education.
Professor W. Andy Knight, Director of The UWI's Institute of International Relations and Symposium Moderator said, "It is clear to me...that the youth of this region want a greater say on the issues that affect them directly. They are ready to take their rightful place as decision makers, not just recipients of decisions made for them."
The UWI also hosted the first ever meeting between President Barack Obama of the United States of America, and the CARICOM Heads of Government.
President Obama also talked with 350 students and young leaders from the wider Caribbean, at a Town Hall meeting at the Mona Campus in Jamaica. He launched the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), which will provide 250 fellowships each year to enable participants from the United States and the Caribbean to develop joint business and civil society initiatives. President Obama then answered questions from the floor, noting that young people will shape the future of our countries, region, and the planet, making it important to hear their views and invest in their leadership.
[Youth] are not just leaders for tomorrow; you are torchbearers for today.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles and UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon at The UWI Cave Hill Campus in Barbados.
"We are calling the year 2015 a time for global action – and young people are crucial to building the world we want...In the past decade and a half, we have achieved much. Global poverty has been cut by more than half. More girls are in school. We have made progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other killer diseases. Here in the Caribbean, there have been similar successes. But around the world, we have to do more. Cutting poverty in half was never our ambition. Usain Bolt does not stop at 50 metres. We want to finish the race." - UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at the UN youth symposium, Caribbean Youth Speak on July 3, 2015.
The UN Chief engaged students and representatives of youth organisations across the region under the theme The World We Want Post-2015.
From left: Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and Chairman of CARICOM, the Rt. Hon. Perry Christie; Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller; President of the United States, Barack Obama; Secretary General of CARICOM, Irwin LaRocque; Out-going Vice-Chancellor of The UWI, Professor E. Nigel Harris; and Vice-Chancellor Designate, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles in a group photo during the summit held at The UWI.
"The bonds between us are extraordinarily strong. The Caribbean is a place of extraordinary beauty, people of enormous spirit, unique talents, a wonderful culture. We are bound by friendship and shared values, and by family. And we have a great stake in each other’s success...And I wanted to meet today so that we could take some time to focus on the unique opportunities and challenges that this region faces." – President Barack Obama during his historic meeting with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders at the Regional Headquarters of The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica on April 9, 2015.
