The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Multi Country Office (MCO) in Jamaica has announced its third annual Ready Set Great youth in development Conference for October 17, globally commemorated as International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

Registrations are now open at www.readysetgreatja.com.

The announcement was made on August 12 – International Youth Day – by five of UNDP’s youth partners. The conference is open to youth aged 18 to 35, with focus on young people from countries served by the UNDP MCO, namely, Jamaica, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands.  

Youth delegates are expected to discuss issues and solutions related to youth poverty and finalize a Call to Action.

The event, which is being convened in Kingston using the in-person format for the first time, will also feature sessions tailored to help youth with a heart for social causes, activism, and social enterprises to navigate the unique challenges faced by youth in this field and strengthen their capacity to serve. Delegates unable to attend in person will be facilitated via a dynamic online platform.

The conference will end with UNDP’s third annual Development Challenge, a pitch competition for university students highlighting their innovative solutions to advance national development priorities aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Competitors will have five minutes to convince delegates and the judges that their pitch is number one. Delegates vote for their favourite team, with their cumulative votes counting as part of the final decision. The winners will be awarded paid internships at UNDP Multi Country Office in Jamaica. Winners located outside Jamaica will be able to carry out their internship duties virtually.

The Steering Committee leading the implementation of Ready Set Great includes representatives of UNDP, Planning Institute of Jamaica, Vision 2030 Secretariat, Sir Artur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Research (SALISES), Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), Youths For Excellence Limited, Youths Inspiring Positive Change Jamaica, Young Women and Men of Purpose, Jamaica Union of Tertiary Students, and the Caribbean Youth Climate Justice Coalition.

Space is limited for the in-person event but remains unlimited at this time for delegates attending online. Interested young people outside of Jamaica are encouraged to register for the conference using the registration form for online delegates. Applications for the Development Challenge are limited to university students from Jamaica, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands. Notably, a student from The Bahamas was a part of the winning team in 2021 and performed her internship virtually.

The youth demographic is one of several groups targeted for services under UNDP MCO’s Country Programme 2022 – 2026, having been identified as requiring urgent support to strengthen their social resilience and inclusion.  

UNDP’s Country Programme aims to contribute to national efforts to reduce multidimensional poverty.