December 2023

On December 29th 2023, NC Shannon Weekes and PRO Sheldon Marshall attended the GREAT Britain-Barbados Partnership Reception. The reception brought together British and Barbadian friends to celebrate the many connections between the two countries as well as allow for the opportunity to network.  The #GREATUKBarbados campaign will explore new areas of partnership through a series of exciting events and initiatives.

On December 22nd, CYEN members in Barbados held a holiday social. During the social, members played dominoes, charades, reminisced about experiences they experienced throughout the year and participated in gift exchange. This gift exchange was no ordinary one as each member had to give a gift worth $3.50 and the gift could not be one of food or drinks!

The Deputy National Coordinator, Mr. Kimar Hinds attended the first Archipelagic and Island States (AIS)  Forum which was held in Bali, Indonesia from 6th-8th October. During the forum, discussions on the following areas were held and how they relate to and are important for AIS: 1) Climate Change 2) Blue economy 3) Marine pollution and debris and 4) Good maritime governance.

CYEN was invited by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office to attend the UN Day 2023 Anniversary Reception which was held at the Parliament of Barbados on October 24th. CYEN was represented by Deputy National Coordinator, Mr. Kimar Hinds along with other distinguished guests from the UN, Government, Civil Society and the private sector. The reception served as an opportunity to network and share the work of CYEN in Barbados and across the region.

From November 13th-15th, UNESCO held its 13th UNESCO Youth Forum under the theme “Social Impacts of Climate Change and the need to achieve an equitable climate transition.” CYEN member and National Coordinator in Barbados, Ms. Shannon Weekes participated in the forum amongst other CYEN members. The forum was an opportunity for 170+ youth delegates from around the world to present recommendations to UNESCO on what youth want and how they can better incorporate youth into their programming activities. The forum also served as an opportunity for youth delegates to network with each other, Youth Ministers and UNESCO staff, learning about how youth are leading initiatives and/or lobbying for policy change in their countries.

On November 1st, CYEN participated in the Caribbean Energy and Investment Summit. In attendance was Public Relations Officer, Ivanna Odle who was on a panel during the Barbados Sustainable Energy Youth Forum. Ms. Odle along with other panelists such as Mr.Adien Rogers (HDF Energy) and  Dr. Nicholai Holder (UWI) discussed employment opportunities related to the energy sector, as the nation continues to transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

CYEN members, Ms. Faith Waithe and Mr. Dominique Bryan attended an IDB workshop on 13th December entitled, “Grievance Mechanisms of IDB Group.” During the workshop, the purpose of and how to use the grievance mechanisms were discussed, the criteria for submitting complaints were also discussed and a live demonstration of how to file a complaint on the website was done. Some of the challenges were also discussed during the workshop.

On Monday October 23rd 2023, CYEN participated in the regional GEF-funded project entitled ‘Preventing the Costs of Invasive Alien Species in Barbados and Countries of the OECS.’ This policy-development workshop was attended by the Administrative and Logistics Officer, Ms. Jahdae Parris. During the workshop, participants were placed into groups and were tasked with providing crucial critiques and/or recommendations for the further development of the National Invasive Species Strategy and Action Plan (NISSAP) and Invasive Alien Species Policy.

During the 2023 ICC season, the Caribbean Airline partnered with CYEN to host a series of beach cleanups. On October 14th, the Caribbean Airlines Team in Barbados cleaned Worthing Beach, Christ Church of 73.45kgs of marine debris.

On 26th October, National Coordinator in Barbados, Shannon Weekes participated in the Barbados Internet Governance Forum where she was on a panel. During the panel discussion, she talked about how CYEN used the internet to carry out activities as well as its mandates.