Jamaican minister leads CARICOM delegation in funding discussion with UNESCO

Paris, France — Jamaica’s minister of youth and culture, Lisa Hanna, led a delegation of CARICOM ministers and ambassadors in a meeting with the leadership of UNESCO on Monday to secure funding for education, youth and culture initiatives.

UNESCO has been reducing spending since losing about a fifth of its annual income when two member states decided to suspend their regular contributions.

In the meeting with the UNESCO director-general, Irina Bokova, on Monday, the CARICOM delegation was due to explore the possibility of maintaining and increasing the level of funding of programmes in education, culture and youth development for small island developing states within the context of the financial constraints of the organisation.

The meeting will also discuss the representation of CARICOM nationals in UNESCO’s Secretariat; cooperation with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission; reparations for native genocide and slavery; and co-operation with UNESCO in education.

Hanna is also leading a lobby for support of Jamaica’s candidacy for membership of the World Heritage Committee. Jamaica is hoping to represent the interests of small island developing states on the committee, which decides whether a property is inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Jamaica has applied for the Blue and John Crow Mountains to be inscribed on the World Heritage List and will begin preparing a dossier for Port Royal’s nomination to the List. Jamaica will also be putting a case for reggae music to be inscribed on the Intangible Heritage List.