Youth Portal for the Latin America and the Caribbean - Juvenile Development and Violence Prevention

Conclusions and Recommendations from the II Forum of Ministers and High-Ranking Officials Responsible for Youth in Central America

21-22 August, 2009, San José, Costa Rica

The responsible officials in charge of youth sectors of the SICA member countries, members of international cooperation agencies, the United Nations and other international organizations and civil society, gathered at the “Second Forum of Ministers and Senior Officials in charge of the areas of Youth in Central America”:

CONSIDERING that:

1. In the context of demographic change and rapid urbanization, the current financial, economic and social crises affecting not only the entire region but the whole world, is particularly damaging to development opportunities for young people and their full integration into society.
2. The increasing rates of violence and insecurity in Central America are having a significant impact on youths.
3. In many countries in the region the tendency to focus on repressive measures to face the phenomenon has not produced the expected results, limiting young people’s access to their rights, resulting in the criminalization of poverty and youth, and contributing to a climate of social distrust and lack of cooperation restricting development.
4. It is only possible to reduce violence and promote the peaceful coexistence of citizens by tackling, not only the effects of the phenomenon, but also its roots, recognizing young people as key actors in the development of their community and their country.
5. Prevention promotes the integral development and social inclusion of young people, and highlights a set of interrelated factors that encourage young people to play positive social roles, resulting in a more relevant, effective and efficient framework with which to tackle the violence that affects young people.
6. It is, therefore, essential to promote the design and implementation of public policies on prevention, which provide, in a coordinated and systematic manner, a variety of actions and best practices implemented in Central America by the public sector, civil society, and international and bilateral cooperation in matters of youth development and violence prevention.

Therefore,

The participants attending this Forum RECOMMEND:

1. To promote the design and implementation of national policies on the prevention of violence affecting youth, with the participation of all relevant institutional actors, integrating primary, secondary and tertiary preventive strategies.
2. To reaffirm the importance of inclusive policies in education systems in order to mitigate negative factors such as the expulsive and exclusive practices of school systems.
3. To prioritize the opening of public spaces (in line with the development of “Open Schools” Programs), job placement and social integration of youths at risk (highlighting capacity-building programs, internships, and personal and social support) as well as social reintegration programs for children and adolescents in conflict with the law (prioritizing the alternative measures to incarceration).
4. To promote the design and implementation of a communication strategy broadcasting in the media positive activities (political, academic, cultural and productive, among others), developed by youths, and extending their involvement in the production of those messages. For this purpose, visibility will be given to a special meeting in Guatemala, supported by the RETEJOVEN Project and the UNESCO Office San José, calling upon the participation of young people, the media and prominent figures from radio, television, film, music and other means of communication.
5. To promote the harmonization and alignment of various human resources training programs, encouraging graduates to articulate and design a regional program for government officials and members of civil society organizations, working in the domain of prevention of youth-related violence.
6. To promote and strengthen the various observatories working at sub-regional level on youth issues, with the aim of supporting the production of quality statistical and analytical data, as a means of articulating efficient social science-based tools which will contribute to the designing of public policies at national and sub-regional levels, taking into account monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
7. To stress the importance of systematizing the contributions from academia, international agencies, government institutions and civil society related to youth and the conditions that lead to violence and appropriate preventive measures.
8. To establish four interagency working groups to identify and promote successful mechanisms for youth participation in management systems related to:
- Education
- Employment
- Health
- Safety and Justice
The focal point for each theme will be decided later according to the comparative advantages of the different agencies.
9. To respond to the invitation of the Government of Costa Rica by institutionalizing, through a focal point and a permanent Secretariat, the Annual Forum of Ministers and High-Ranking Officials Responsible for Youth in the country members of the SICA in order to reinforce this sub-regional dialogue platform so as to:
- have an open and continuous dialogue on the different activities being implemented;
- facilitate cooperation between scientific institutions in the region;
- facilitate dialogue with various funding sources;
- identify innovative opportunities for cooperation;
- assure the convergence of ongoing activities in the member countries.
10. Thank the Government and people of Costa Rica for their hospitality.

San Jose, Costa Rica, Crowne Plaza Corobici, 22 August 2009.