Two youth to represent federation in Mauritius

Basseterre, St. Kitts (October 14, 2004): Kennedy Pemberton and Fadil Imo will be representing the Federation at the youth segment of the Sustainable Development Conference in Mauritius in January next year.

Pemberton and Imo both entered the Small Islands Voice Essay Competition by submitting a 2000 word essay in which they addressed and discussed the statement: "Evaluate the environmental challenges and implications for the sustainable future of Small Island Developing States."

Using tourism as a backdrop, Pemberton addressed the statement by identifying tourism as a chief means for sustainable growth in small island developing states. He then discussed that whereas tourism has positive externalities and spinoffs there are also negative impacts. In his essay, Pemberton quoted his former professor Hugh Heyliger who he said gave the class an acronym TANSTAFL which stands for "There Ain't No Such Thing As a Free Lunch."

He then went on to write about the negative impacts of the sector including the activity of dredging in order to facilitate cruise tourism as well as pollution of food sources due to the use of chemicals whether pesticides or those used to enhance growth or appearance of foods.

Imo on the other hand took his essay from the angle of renewable energy, water conservation and waste disposal. He discussed that at present there are high levels of CFCs that are released into the atmosphere from car mufflers as well as the sugar factory and hence there is the need to move to renewable energy sources. Imo also wrote that although St. Kitts and Nevis has water catchment facilities when rain falls a great amount of surface water is still lost, thus the need for additional water conservation methods. He also addressed the issue of solid waste management.

Both young men will be attending "Youth Visioning for Islands Living," the youth meeting complementing the main Sustainable Development Conference which will be held in Mauritius from January 7 to 12, 2005.

Prior to attending the January meeting, Pemberton and Imo along with other youth from the region will take part in a youth dialogue for orientation purposes in St. Lucia from October 25 to 27, this year.

Pemberton noted that since youth from around the globe would be attending the Mauritius meeting, it was important for the Caribbean to decide upon and put forward a position paper. This document would emphasize the particular issues that the countries would like to highlight among those that affect the region as a whole.

Imo likewise noted the importance of the St. Lucia meeting stating that it is necessary to dialogue in order to leave St. Lucia with a youth agenda for the Caribbean pertaining to environment and development. Personally, Imo said, as a youth activist he would encourage other young people to become actively involved in environmental sustainability.

As Imo indicated, both young men upon their return will be in a position to implement necessary programmes to ensure that environmental sustainability is part of youth and national agendas.

St. Kitts and Nevis Information Service, 14th October 2004