Anyin Choo, Ambassador of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to China, delivered a speech  

1^st Draft SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY ANYIN CHOO, AMBASSADOR OF GUYANA TO THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
5^TH BELT AND ROAD WOMEN’S FORUM
YOUTH LEADERSHIP FORUM
Sanya Edition Hotel
December 08, 2023
 
 
Good morning, All
I wish to thank the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries for their kind invitation and appreciation to the Hainan Provincial Government and the Sanya Municipal Government for hosting us and all the arrangements for the heartwarming hospitality extended to all of us.
I am very humbled and honored by the opportunity to address today’s Youth Leadership Forum and to make that connection between the Belt and Road Women’s Forum and Youth  Leadership in the 21^st Century.
It is said that women hold up half the skies but the world we live in today is borrowed from our children and future generations and hence, it is our duty to ensure that we leave this world in the capable hands of our youths and in their good leadership. The world we live in today is very different from yesterday, as we jointly face many global challenges. Challenges of economic instability, threats to peace, climate change, energy, and food security, just to name a few. According to the UN, today, there are 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10-24—they are the largest generation of youth in history. Close to 90 percent of them live in developing countries, where they make up a significant proportion of the population. Youths are a very important part of the sustainable development equation as leaders of tomorrow, who can contribute in positive ways to make a different in the lives of people and to make this world we coinhabit a better place for everyone. They are important because they are connected to each other like never before, young people want to and already contribute to the resilience of their communities, proposing innovative solutions, driving social progress, and inspiring political change. They are also agents of change, mobilizing to advance the Sustainable Development Goals to improve the lives of people and the health of the planet.
Our youths are Critical thinkers, Change-makers, Innovators, Communicators, and Leaders. When young people are empowered with the knowledge of their rights and equipped with leadership skills, they can drive change in their communities and countries for better.
 
Support, encouragement, mentoring, inspiring, and giving them space to allow them to grow. Not only by us the older generation of parents and grandparents but also by peers…fellow youths. Everyone should contribute to that enabling environment for our youths to achieve their true full potentials. Engaging young people in development programs has a very interesting impact on their personal development, their empowerment, and their ability to connect with more marginalized people in their community. The impact is far-reaching.
Currently, the average age of a head of state in the world is 62 years old, the youngest head of state is currently 37 years old.
Guyana’s youngest Head of State was Former President Bharrat Jagdeo who was sworn in as President in August 1999 at the age of 35. I also wish to mention that Guyana’s first female President, Mrs. Janet Jagan, was sworn into office in December 1997 some 26 years ago and our first female Foreign Minister took office in 2008, some 15 years ago. As a small developing country, we have made strides…
And we do recognize that collaboration and engagement between our women and our youths are important as we are all members of one global community and we are affected by the same global challenges. In times of instability, famine, wars, and natural disasters, it is our women and our youths, our children that shoulder most of the devasting effects. Hence, it is important that we share knowledge and experiences and collaborate to work together to make our world a better place for all.
 
We heard stories of youths championing global causes, youth parliamentarians, young billionaires, young Ministers of Government, and young heads of state. You, our youths can become one of them. You can be that individual who could make that positive difference in people’s lives and you can inspire more youths to become leaders of tomorrow.
The youths of today are innovative thinkers with a unique ability to influence decision-makers through advocacy and raising awareness in important issues which affect our lives. They are like rough diamond stones, when you give them the right cuts and polish them, they will shine. The hardships and challenges in life are the cuts and polish that will make you a better person, a person that will shine with all the qualities of a good leader.
So to our youths, who will be the leaders of tomorrow, I want to leave you with this: To be able to get to this point; you have shown strength, courage, and dedication but this is not the end. This is where the beginning of your journey through life really starts… so how do you get through the rest of this journey? First of all, to recognize that it’s ok if everyone doesn’t like you, there will always be people who like you and those who wouldn’t, regardless of what you do. This world is not perfect, so embrace your imperfections and be that imperfect limited edition of yourself. Always strive to be a better version of yourself and make a positive impact; that will give you the confidence and the empowerment to achieve anything in life. Life isn’t always about winning and getting what you want but it’s about learning from your failures to achieve bigger goals in life. So go out there, continue to shine, make that positive impact, continue to be true to yourself, and continue to make everyone proud of you. There is nothing in life that is unachievable once you believe in yourself and work hard towards that goal. Do not allow your current circumstances and the past to determine your future. You have the power to change your destiny. And if someone ever tells you “You can’t”, tell them “Watch me do it”. Go out there and be true to yourself and never forget where you came from, gratitude takes you a long way… 
And if I had to go back in time and say something to the younger me…what would I tell me? I would say drink all the beer you can because you will develop an allergy to alcohol later on in life.
All the best and just remember, anything is possible once you dare to dream.
 
Thank you.



The forum brought together over 400 participants. These included Li Xikui, Vice President of Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Cheng Hong, Vice President of All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, Chen Xi, Mayor of the People’s Government of Sanya City, Arya Ali, First Lady of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and Michael Houghton, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, and ambassadors from Kyrgyzstan, Zambia, Maldives, Switzerland, Nepal, Guyana, Uganda, Mozambique, and various other countries.