Three Caribbean Countries Elected To UNESCO Executive Board

PARIS, France CMC – Three Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have been elected to serve on the 58-member executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Belize, St. Kitts-Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago will join the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Argentina from the Latin America and Caribbean grouping in the 58-member board.

This is the first time that Port of Spain has been elected to the executive board since 1997. The first meeting of the executive board is due to take place on Friday and Trinidad and Tobago will be represented by the Chair of its National Commission, Dr. Kris Rampersad.

Trinidad and Tobago received the highest number of votes in the Latin America and Caribbean (GRULAC) UNESCO regional division in the elections of the UNESCO Executive Board held here last week.

“After 16 years since it was last represented on this board, Trinidad and Tobago is ready to take its place on the Executive Board as a leader in the GRULAC region and consolidate national and regional activities through UNESCO to benefit our populations, the main agenda-setting organ of UNESCO,” said Education Minister Dr. Tim Gopeesingh.

“Already, we have presented to UNESCO a concept for deepening and broadening the inclusion of special needs children – which amount to about 30 percent of the world’s children – into the education, and by extension, other social systems. Through our involvement on the Executive Board, we will be working towards the realization of this, as well as strengthening UNESCO’s work in the region to other aspects of the education sector, as well as heritage and culture, communications and science,” he said.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Ambassador John Sandy,said the involvement of Trinidad and Tobago in the main decision making organ of UNESCO presents an opportunity to deepen engagement and expand partnerships with other regions.

“Victory came because of great team effort, not only among us on team Trinidad and Tobago, but also in our leadership of negotiations with the rest of the region, CARICOM and individual candidates,” he said.

The keenly contested elections, involved intense behind-the-scenes negotiations which resulted in the Caribbean sub-sector presenting a “clean slate” including Trinidad and Tobago, Belize and St. Kitts/Nevis to the UNESCO electoral community.

“That the highest numbers voted for Trinidad and Tobago in the GRULAC group suggests the tremendous faith and confidence the UNESCO world and the region have in our country and the leadership, vision, programs and policies we have been presenting to UNESCO,” said Rampersad.

The Executive Board, which comprises 58 members, is one of the three constitutional organs of UNESCO charged with examining UNESCO’s program of work and budget estimates submitted to it by the Director-General.

It makes recommendations on the admission of new States, the appointment of the Director General and summons international and non-governmental conferences on education, the sciences and the humanities.