ORANJESTAD, St. Eustatius – The Kingdom Taskforce for Children’s Rights has concluded its 2026 Work Conference in St. Eustatius with a renewed commitment to strengthening youth participation across the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
The three-day conference brought together taskforce members, government representatives, youth delegates and experts to discuss ways of ensuring that young people are actively involved in policies and decisions that affect their lives. Discussions focused on youth participation frameworks, national youth strategies and children’s rights initiatives, while UNICEF the Netherlands presented findings from a baseline study to support future action.
A key outcome of the conference was the signing of a letter of intent by the six Caribbean islands of the Kingdom. Through this agreement, the islands committed themselves to strengthening meaningful and structural youth participation in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Looking ahead
The conference also looked ahead to 2027, when a youth-focused conference is planned in which young people will present participation scorecards, policy recommendations and examples of co-creation. Governments are expected to report in 2028 on how youth input has been incorporated into policy and implementation.
