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• CYPCC to assist St Lucia with peace building initiative

CYPCC to assist St Lucia with peace building initiative

25 September 2008

The successful implementation of the initiative will allow the roll out of recommendations put forward by CYPCC at the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting in Sri Lanka in April.

The Government of Saint Lucia is set to receive assistance from the Commonwealth Youth Programme Caribbean Centre (CYPCC) in developing a 'Youth and Crime Initiative', following a request by newly appointed Minister of Home Affairs and National Security, Senator the Honourable  Guy Mayers.

CYPCC Regional Director, Mr Henry Charles, following up on the request met recently with some officials of the Government of Saint Lucia, including Permanent Secretary in the National Security Ministry, Ms. Marie Ange-Leonard, Director of Youth Affairs Fortuna Belrose and representatives of the Police, Correctional and Probationary Services.

The meeting agreed that a draft project proposal for the youth and crime initiative, which was circulated by CYP, would be further reviewed and amended wherever necessary. The proposal will be developed and submitted to the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) for possible funding.

The successful implementation of the Youth and Crime Initiative will allow CYP the opportunity to roll out some of the recommendations and initiatives already agreed to as part of CYPCC's contribution to peace building initiatives discussed and ratified at the Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting (CYMM) in Sri Lanka in April.

Youth Ministers at CYMM had benefited from regional case studies, which outlined a clear role for young people in building peace and in mitigating the recourse to conflict, and crime and violence.