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| Mutryce Williams | |
| St. Kitts/Nevis solidifies its position as a major player at the 175th Session of the UNESCO Executive Board Meeting held in Paris, France, 26th September to 14th October 2006. Word of this comes from the Chairman of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO, the Honourable Sam T. Condor, who is also the federation's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister with responsibilities for Education, Youth, Social Development, Community and Gender Affairs.
The Federation was represented by Secretary General of the St. Kitts/Nevis National Commission for UNESCO Antonio Maynard and Mutryce A. Williams, Member of the St. Kitts/Nevis National Commission for UNESCO. Mutryce Williams sat on the Group of Experts on Financial and Administrative Matters Committee from 26 to 29 September 2006 with eleven other member states including Great Britain, United States, Japan, Slovenia, Japan, Algeria, Namibia, South Africa, India, Morocco, Columbia and Russia.
The mandate of the Group of Experts on Financial and Administrative Matters was to assist the Finance and Administrative Commission in its work, with a view to increasing its effectiveness, as well as to determine from a strictly technical point of view the administrative and financial aspects of the documents and issues of the Finance and Administrative Commission. A budget of approximately US$6.1 billion dollars was evaluated by the Committee.
Deputy Prime Minister Condor said that he was quite pleased with the reports that he has been receiving with regards to St. Kitts and Nevis' performance at the highest level of decision-making of UNESCO. He said that the federation made several important interventions at the 175th session of UNESCO EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING.
"These interventions were on issues not only pertinent to St. Kitts and Nevis or the wider Caribbean but also to other international UNESCO member states. This proves that we are a federation that is cognizant of our role as an international partner," he said. Minister Condor stated that he was particularly pleased with an intervention made by St. Kitts and Nevis on immigration in sub-Saharan Africa.
~~Adz:Left~~The federation was key in assisting the state of Senegal in bringing to the fore the issue of the massive migration of clandestine sub-Saharan African youth. He said that St. Kitts and Nevis was lobbied not only for support at the plenary session but also to assist in providing solutions and the drafting of document.
Minister Condor said that the member states of sub-Saharan Africa send its regards to the Government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis. One issue pertinent to a regional member state that St. Kitts and Nevis has lent its support is that of supporting the feasibility and efficiency evaluation on "Yo Si Puedo!" or "Yes I Can" literacy method that was established by Cuba.
Before leaving the federation the delegation, which comprised of Secretary General of the St. Kitts/Nevis National Commission for UNESCO, Antonio Maynard and Mutryce A. Williams, Member of the St. Kitts/Nevis National Commission for UNESCO met with Minister Condor and the Cuban Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis to discuss the literacy programme.
Minister Condor said that the federation supports this literacy method, as he knows that not only the Cuban literacy programme is of a high caliber but the educational system as well. Minister Condor highlighted that many of our young citizens have and are currently benefiting from our relationship with Cuba.
He said that when the Ambassador asked for his support on the "Yo Si Puedo" item that there was no hesitation on behalf of the government in lending assistance. The federation played in a key role in highlighting some discrepancies and oversights with regards to the implementation of new Accounting system (IPSAS) International Public Sector Accounting Standards by UNESCO.
~~Adz:Right~~The federation also expressed its concerns and strong dissatisfaction with regards to the Evaluation Strategies of UNESCO. This has had a severe impact on Latin America and especially the Caribbean, as the lack of or disinterest in this key area of management has led to unsuccessful implementation of the "Capacity Building Programme for Natural Disaster Reduction" within the region.
These issues were addressed and amendments made at the 175th session of UNESCO EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING. The federation, as it did at the last executive board meeting highlighted the plight of small island developing states such as St. Kitts/Nevis, spoke on the level of involvement and visibility within organizations such as UNESCO and lobbied with Latin America in order to strengthen GRULAC, which is Group Latin America and the Caribbean.
UNESCO is currently celebrating its sixtieth year in existence and is currently revaluating its mandate. The federation has submitted its recommendations on a way forward for the organization. At the 175th Session of UNESCO EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING, St. Kitts and Nevis served as rapporteur on Items 25, 35 and 56.
Minister Condor said that he was cognizant that being on the Executive Board of an international organization such as UNESCO would raise the country's profile, but that he did not envision that the partnerships or linkages that St. Kitts and Nevis has made in its inaugural year would have manifested this soon.
Meanwhile, St. Kitts/Nevis was elected to the Executive Board at UNESCO's General Conference held in October 2005 in Paris, France. This is the first time in the organization's sixty-years of existence that St. Kitts/Nevis has been elected to the Executive Board.
The Federation commenced its term on the Executive Board of UNESCO in March 2006 and its term will expire on December 2009. The country's delegation will travel to Paris, France, biannually, during this period to represent the nation, as well as the wider Caribbean. The Executive Board is one of the three constitutional organs of UNESCO. It consists of 58 Member States with a four-year term of office.
The Executive Board examines the programme of work for the Organization and corresponding budget estimates. It ensures the effective and rational execution of the programme by the Director-General. UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945.
Today, UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse " for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge " while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields.
Meanwhile, St. Kitts/Nevis was elected to the Executive Board at UNESCO's General Conference held in October 2005 in Paris, France. This is the first time in the organization's sixty-years of existence that St. Kitts/Nevis has been elected to the Executive Board.
The Federation commenced its term on the Executive Board of UNESCO in March 2006 and its term will expire on December 2009. The country's delegation will travel to Paris, France, biannually, during this period to represent the nation, as well as the wider Caribbean. The Executive Board is one of the three constitutional organs of UNESCO. It consists of 58 Member States with a four-year term of office.
The Executive Board examines the programme of work for the Organization and corresponding budget estimates. It ensures the effective and rational execution of the programme by the Director-General. UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945.
Today, UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse " for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge " while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields.
In short, UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 191* Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. Through its strategies and activities, UNESCO is actively pursuing the Millennium Development
Goals, especially those aiming to: halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries by 2015, achieve universal primary education in all countries by 2015, eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005 and help countries implement a national strategy for sustainable development by 2005 to reverse current trends in the loss of environmental resources by 2015. |
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