Washington DC, November 9, 2021. – The Organization of American States (OAS) began activities within the framework of its 51st Regular Period of Sessions of the General Assembly, held in virtual mode for the second consecutive year, and this year Guatemala is the host country.

This Tuesday, November 9, the “Dialogue of Heads of Delegation, the Secretary General, the Assistant Secretary General and Representatives of Civil Society Organizations, Workers, the Private Sector and Other Social Actors” took place, where the youth of the Americas was represented in the voice of the young Jamaican Shani Knai Bennett, who highlighted the importance of continuing to generate and strengthen more inclusive spaces for action and participation for young people.

On this occasion, the Dialogue was guided by the main theme of the General Assembly “Towards Renewal in the Americas”, proposed by Guatemala in its capacity as host country with the purpose of joining forces that require strategic proposals regarding priorities and challenges of the continent, under a renewal, strengthened and sustainable approach.

In his speech, the young Shani Bennett added that “today, the YABT officially opens the process of youth consultations towards the VI edition of the Young Americas Forum, around the Four Cs of Youth Development: Climate Change , COVID-19, Collaborating with Youth and Combating Corruption; with the purpose of actively involving youth from all over the hemisphere in the process of the Ninth Summit of the Americas ”.

With this announcement, youth organizations and young leaders will be able to get involved in the youth dialogue process and other activities related to their contribution to the hemispheric agenda, leading activities in their countries and joining a hemispheric effort that to date has involved more than 31 thousand young people from all over the continent.

• See the special Youth Message presented by Shani Bennett, available here.

The guides to organize Youth Dialogues are already available at:

• Spanish
• English
• Portuguese

Since 2007, and through the Young Americas Forum, youth have had a permanent and significant participation in the decision-making processes in the OAS General Assembly; under this role as a recognized social actor in the Summit of the Americas process, which has been promoted by the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT).

The VI Edition of the Forum becomes a revitalized mechanism to strengthen work with youth in an inclusive manner, supporting the objectives and pillars of the OAS, and the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Young Americas Forum of the next Summit of the Americas represents an opportunity to consolidate a strategic alliance in support of the work of the YABT and the OAS in favor of youth. More information, contact us via info@yabt.net