ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA, October 08, 2013 – GIS:Senator the Honourable Simon Stiell, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, addressed the meeting of the fifty-eight-Member Executive Board of UNESCO, currently taking place in Paris, FRANCE.

Responsible for Education, Science, Culture, and Communication and Information, UNESCO is one of the specialized agencies of the United Nations of which the Executive Board is the governing body.

In addressing the meeting, Senator Stiell called for UNESCO’s support and continued focus on several issues of specific interest not only to Grenada, but to the Caribbean as a whole. These issues included ongoing support for  the Education For All Goals; Climate Change and Poverty Alleviation; the Science Major Programme for Small Island Developing States; UNESCO’s involvement in the preparation of the 20-year review of the Barbados Programme of Action in 2014; Social Inclusion and the Operational Strategy for Youth; and Gender Equality with a focus not only on women and girls but also men and boys.

Particular emphasis was placed on the development of policies in the Ethics of Science and Technology, the 2005 Convention for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, and on Communication and Information Technologies as an agent for economic transformation and a central component of Grenada’s national development, agenda. Senator Stiell stressed the significant importance that the current Government attaches to these three areas.

Apart from discussing issues pertaining to Education, Science and Culture, this session of the Board was of significant importance as Members were required to select a Director-General to lead the Organization for the next four year period.  On Friday 4th October, Irina Bokova was successfully re-elected to the post of Director-General. Director-General Bokova was congratulated by the Executive Board on her re-election victory.

Grenada has served as an Executive Board member for the past four years. Although Grenada’s term ends at the end of this year, Senator Stiell reaffirmed Grenada’s continued support for UNESCO’s ideals and mission on the way forward to ensure effective and meaningful delivery of its programmes.

The Senator was accompanied by the Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO and was speaking on behalf of the Minister of Education who was attending to other Government business abroad.