Prime Minister Christie is currently in New York where he is participating in a high level dialogue during the 2015 integration segment of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

Under the theme “Achieving sustainable development through employment creation and decent work for all,” Prime Minister Christie will deliver the country and region’s statement as the Chair of CARICOM and is expected to pay particular attention to the status of the Millennium Development Goals within the context of human development.

Stressing the significance of this high level dialogue was Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell, the lone minister to accompany the prime minister to New York.

“We’ve come to the point where we have to assess Millennium Development Goals. This is 2015 so each country is being asked to assess it and that’s the reason why this high level dialogue is taking place in New York and The Bahamas prime minister as chair of CARICOM is there to put the position for CARICOM and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of CARICOM as to where we are in terms of the issues of sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals and what further goals we have to set beyond the 2015 agenda,” Minister Mitchell said.

Speaking more specifically about the interest of The Bahamas, Minister Mitchell said that “the big focus for The Bahamas and CARICOM generally is human development so he (Prime Minister Christie) expects to have discussions with the director general of the International Labour Organization at lunchtime up in New York.”

Topics to be discussed include strategies to resolve the issue of youth unemployment to “give them a sense of hope and engagement in the economies of our countries.”

Prime Minister Christie is expected back home later this evening.