Culture of Peace AAA-Final-Feb19

The agenda was developed through a collaborative process involving young people, policymakers, and experts, with the intention of creating an inclusive, culturally-appropriate, and forward-looking plan. The Caribbean region is characterized by a uniquely high level of violent crime, including homicides, assaults, and threats, often involving the use of firearms. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), nearly 1 in 3 residents have lost someone close to violence or have witnessed a violent attack ending in injury or death in their lifetime. This collective trauma has resulted in a sense of helplessness and frustration among many individuals. The AAA focuses on promoting a culture of peace and preventing crime and violence through a multi-faceted approach. The plan emphasizes the importance of engaging young people in the decision-making process, providing them with the necessary resources and support to address the root causes of crime and violence. Key recommendations outlined in The AAA include: * Providing evidence-informed programming, interventions, and resources that address the diversity of youth backgrounds, experiences, identities, and needs. * Encouraging families, schools, and communities to work together on issues such as in-home and gender-based violence, toxic masculinity, bullying, and corporal punishment. * Developing a justice system that includes cross-cutting laws and policies based on the premise that young people can be rehabilitated and that youth are fundamentally different from adults. * Ensuring that justice system staff are better trained in meeting the developmental needs of young people, including helping them navigate the road from arrest to incarceration to preparation for release and reintegration into communities. The AAA also emphasizes the importance of policy-makers and donors working together to address the issues of crime and violence in the Caribbean. Recommendations include: * Passing laws that provide funding for comprehensive, culturally responsive, and inclusive crime and violence prevention programs. * Expanding funding for evidence-informed programs that help reintegrate young people into their families and communities once they have disengaged from the justice system. * Convinced governments to support youth entrepreneurship and employment, and to ensure that young people have the opportunity to fully engage in their national economies. * Addressing inequalities in educational systems and ensuring support for teacher training, in-school counseling and prevention programs, vocational skills training, and targeted social-emotional development curricula for toddlers, preteens, and adolescents. The AAA is built on three pillars outlined in CARICOM's Social Development and Crime Prevention Action Plan (SDCP), which was approved by Heads of Government as the overarching regional framework to guide prevention and the reduction in levels of violence and crime in member states. The plan aims to spark powerful and authentic engagement by young people and policymakers, leading to bold and tangible action and real change. The average rate of victimization by homicide, assault, and threat in the Caribbean is 6.8%, higher than in any other region in the world. The United States Government's commitment to supporting a prosperous, stable, and safe Caribbean community is centered on the belief that young people are an integral part of the process and must be fully engaged at all levels.