GPSU’s Message on UN International Youth Day 2025

United Nations International Youth Day (IYD), celebrated annually on August 12, is a powerful reminder of the potential of young people worldwide. In 2025, the theme, “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and beyond,” underscores the pivotal role of youths in localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and transforming global ambitions into tangible, local results. With over 65 percent of SDG targets linked to local and regional governance, it is clear that empowering young people at the local level is not just important, but essential to achieving these targets by 2030. In Guyana, we must recognize and celebrate that our youths possess the qualities that make them key partners in building an inclusive and sustainable future.

The GPSU sees Youth empowerment as focusing on participation and preparation. As a trade union that has led worker representation and advocacy for decades, GPSU understands that the future strength of our movement and the public service depends on intentional succession planning. This involves identifying, mentoring, and equipping young members with the skills, confidence, and vision to lead within the Union’s Executive Council, government service, or community leadership. It ensures that a prepared and capable generation is ready to step into the opportunities and roles that will become available.

Through initiatives of the GPSU’s standing committees, especially our Youth and Education Committees, young Public Servants will gain the training they need in governance, negotiation, advocacy, innovation, and sustainable development. Senior leaders actively mentor younger members, sharing institutional knowledge while encouraging fresh ideas and perspectives. Youths are integrated into GPSU’s committees, policy discussions, and representation roles at national, regional, and international forums where they are better able to understand their roles and how to remain relevant as an institution that will continue to advocate for fair employment conditions, growth opportunities, and skills-building programmes for young public servants. This approach intends to maintain the Union’s legacy, values, and mission by involving new leaders familiar with tradition and innovation.

The regional dimension of youth leadership is equally important. In alignment with this year’s theme, the Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica, has emphasized that youths are the Region’s most valuable strategic asset. He has called for young people to be positioned as decision-makers, innovators, and partners in shaping the Caribbean’s future. His message is of trust and inclusion, urging leaders to open doors for youth participation in policy, governance, and economic transformation, not as a token gesture but as a deliberate investment in resilience and growth. This vision resonates strongly with GPSU’s belief that the Caribbean’s and Guyana’s future hinges on youth-led, locally deep-rooted action.

GPSU calls on the government, civil society, the private sector, and regional partners to urgently invest in youth capacity on this International Youth Day. It is crucial to integrate youth perspectives into decision-making, create enabling environments for young people to thrive, and commit resources to structured leadership transitions that empower youth to carry forward national and institutional goals. In doing so, Guyana will strengthen its governance and development capacity and contribute to the Caribbean’s collective progress in meeting the SDGs.

As we approach 2030, the success of the SDGs in Guyana will depend on what we do now to prepare and empower our young leaders. The Guyana Public Service Union is dedicated not only to training, mentoring, and empowering youth for their personal development but also to the sustainability and modernization of our public service and the strength of our nation. We are committed to this cause beyond 2030. On this International Youth Day, we celebrate our youth’s achievements, pledge to support their future, help them overcome challenges, and remind all stakeholders that when youth lead locally with proper training and integrity, the country will earn respect on the global stage.

Let us work together to turn “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond” into a movement that empowers all young Guyanese to build a healthier, more prosperous nation beyond 2030.

Happy International Youth Day!