Olivia Grange, minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, pointing to strong lobbying efforts as the reason behind Jamaica’s appointment to two additional intergovernmental bodies of UNESCO for the period 2021-2025.

Alando Terrelonge, minister of state in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, will be Jamaica’s representative to the Legal Committee, which meets during the General Conference and is responsible for considering proposals for the amendment of the constitution and rules of procedures.

Terrelonge is an attorney-at-law.

In a release from the ministry last night, Grange said she was satisfied with this latest development for Jamaica, coming out of the 41st Session of the UNESCO General Conference which was under way in Paris, France.

“While in Paris, I met with the Minister of Culture for Cameroon, among others. I also had high level discussions with the President of the Group of Latin America and Caribbean Countries as well as the Assistant Director General of Culture and the Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office for the Caribbean. I also had the opportunity to make a presentation to the Director General of UNESCO,” Grange said.

The UNESCO General Conference, which began on November 9, ends on November 24.  

In the meantime, Jamaica was reappointed to the Information for all Programme, being represented by Cordel Green, executive director of the Broadcasting Commission and Member of the Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO.

IFAP was established in 2001 to provide a platform for all the stakeholders in the knowledge societies, to participate in international discussions on policy and guidelines for action in the area of access to information and knowledge.

Green currently serves as a vice hair of the Bureau for the Information for all Programme.

Jamaica has now been elected to three intergovernmental bodies of the General Conference.