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Thru Novel Lenses! New Vision New Perspectives New Ideas New Directions For the New World! Futuring Sustainable Development in the Post Pandemic Planet From Pre School to Policy Making
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Saturday, October 17, 2015
UNESCO Finance Commission unanimously passes draft SIDS resolution on strategy for resourcing development in small islands
UNESCO’s Finance Commission has unanimously
supported the call to challenge the development categorisation of countries
according to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) tabled by Trinidad and Tobago’s
representative to the UNESCO Executive Board, Dr Kris Rampersad with colleagues from the Caribbean and other Small Island Developing States and supporters from other countries.
We are advocating revision
of the GDP basis for economic categorisation of States into small, medium and
large categories promoted by global financial organisations like the World Bank as it does not reflect the tremendous disparities in income, levels of
poverty and inequalities within countries. It is part of a draft resolution proposed
by Caribbean representatives and global SIDS with support from others for
UNESCO to develop a focussed strategy of programme implementation and means of financing
and resourcing an action plan for SIDS.
It requests that UNESCO’s Institute
of Statistics collate the relevant data for phased presentation to the
Executive Board, “taking account of the
vulnerabilities linked to limitations of size and resources economies of scale,
indebtedness, external economic shocks and natural hazard occurrences and
resources.” Support for the resolution ha already come from not only Small Island Developing
States (SIDS) of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans but also ‘developed’ island
states as the UK as well as countries like the United States, Sweden, and China
who recognised the place of SIDS in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development
Goals and to ‘the future of the planet.’
UNESCO’s Finance Commission (FA) is charged with examining budgetary provisions of the organisation. It is one of two commissions, with the Programme and External Relations Commission (PX), which is chaired by the representative of Mexico with co-chair, the Trinidad and Tobago Representative.
The resolution has implications for not
only on SIDS but all of the developing world, Unless these misrepresentations
are addressed we are likely to face the same pitfalls in meeting the United
Nation’s new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as with the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), Persistent
poverty and other glossed-over internal challenges have hampered achievement of
the Millennium Goals. The GDP classifications have also restricted
access to technical and other resources by civil society and others working to
redress the imbalances at poverty, gender disparity and other inequalities at ground
level.
Dr Kris Rampersad is an independent development educator/consultant who has been promoting culture-centred approaches to development as the UNESCO-trained heritage facilitator for the Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago’s Representative to the Executive Board, 2013-2017. Trinidad and Tobago became a member of the UNESCO Executive Board with the highest number of votes among the Group of Latin American and Developing Countries (GRULAC) at UNESCO elections of 2013. New members will be admitted to the 58-member Executive Board following elections carded for the upcoming UNESCO General Conference in November 2015, where all Executive Board resolutions will be finalised and adopted.
@krisramp @KrisRampersadTT @lolleaves @glocalpot #Demokrissy #Glocalknowledgepot #LeavesofLife #LeavesOfLive #CaribbeanLiterarySalon
Related Links:
http://kris-rampersad.blogspot.fr/2015/10/unesco-asked-to-help-review-economic.html
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Trinidad and Tobago cochairs UNESCO programme and external relations commission 4th consecutive term
Amenable and consensus discussions on UNESCO's participation in the preparation of the Post 2015 Agenda and Management of Social Transformations as Trinidad and Tobago representative to the UNESCO Executive Board Dr Kris Rampersad unanimously elected to CoChair UNESCO Programme and External Relations Commission for fourth consecutive session of the Board at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris France.
#Demokrissy #197ExB #LeavesOfLife #Glocalknowledgepot ##UNSDG #Post2015 #UNESCO #UN #SDG2015 #Glocalknowledgepot @krisramp @KrisRampersadTT @lolleaves @unesco @un @ glocalpot
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
UNESCO asked to help review economic development categories of island states #197EXB
The
time has come to review skewed development classifications so as to redress
economic misrepresentations that are negatively affecting our countries’ access
to technical assistance and resources towards achieving effective
sustainability.This draws from discussions with members of civil society, development agencies, trade and international and foreign representatives on the disadvantageous position placed on small island states like Trinidad and Tobago by its economic categorisation as middle income on an equal footing with other larger world economies.
UNESCO - with its work on the ground with marginalised communities and to identify intangible value that are generally unfactored and accounted for in development statistics - is well-positioned to begin directly redefining and redressing this.
We are promoting a resolution requesting targeted strategic actions and aligned budget and funding plan for small islands that also request revisiting development classifications, which has received widespread support from among Executive Board delegations UNESCO.
Ill-informed data on an unequal
playing field has misdirected policies, decision making, budgets and allocation
of resources that entrench ill advised economic and consumption habits,
practices of power and influence that have contributed to the spiral of poverty,
inequalities and underdevelopment and the unfulfilled dimensions of the
Millennium Development Goals.
We challenge any representation
as helpless and needy that deny our rich resource of talents and people who
function against tremendous odds to survive high handed, high powered, hand me
down directives and policies, institutional constipation, historically
entrenched status quos that handicap our ability to carve our societies in our
own image and create the World We Want.
We commend UNESCO’s successful
efforts in framing the Sustainable Development Goals, and particularly for its
pivotal role in shaping the goals on education, oceans, clean water, science,
technology and innovation, culture as a driver and enabler of development,
information as a right and key to transparent governance; and transformational
powers of advancing the status of women and girls.
We are convinced that the new Sustainable
Development Goals offer opportunities to re-set the clock; to revise the
failing approaches that have seen such tremendous gaps in achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals. We believe
that the roadmap to implementation of the new goals offer us all an opportunity
to re-create development and its approaches and perspectives into the image of
the World We Want to combat persistent poverty and inequalities..
We congratulate the Director
General for her prompt response to a request for the return of the Young
Professionals programme through which, she expressed the hope that many skilled
and talented youths explore career options in UNESCO.
Dr Kris Rampersad is the Trinidad and Tobago Representative on the UNESCO Executive Board and an independent media, cultural and literary consultant/facilitator. She is the UNESCO-trained cultural development educator/facilitator in safeguarding heritage in the English-speaking Caribbean and has served as an independent member of UNESCO’s international intergovernmental committee that reviewed applications for its lists on Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Full address to UNESCO Executive Board 197th Session coming soon.
See also http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Time-to-review-skewed-economic-classifications,-Trinidad-representative-tells-UNESCO-27906.htmlCaption: Trinidad and Tobago Representative, Dr Kris Rampersad,
addressing the 197th session of the UNESCO Executive Board currently
in session in Paris.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Incheon Declaration on Education
http://en.unesco.org/world-education-forum-2015/incheon-declaration
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Critical Creative Triggers to social and economic development
Educators at his city school might have breathed a sigh of
relief at seeming exoneration from the incident in which a 12 year old in
school uniform was gunned down in ‘broad daylight’ on the edge of the capital
city a few weeks ago after it seemed that his grandmother had fabricated her
claim that he was on the streets that day after being turned away from school
for a breach of the school’s dress code.
It seemed to be wishful thinking of the grandmother of the
victim who was not-quite-a-child-not-yet-a-young-man that it was the oft-touted
over-onerous education system that was the cause of his being on the streets on
that ill-fated day as in her mind he loved school, his classes and the learning
opportunities it provided, if not as a path out of the trigger-loving company
that he might have fallen into.
And while fingers turned to pointing to the home and the
community, of the victim, and later the police and law enforcement (or lack
thereof), and further extended to the society and its tug-of-war politics, none
of these, nor the educators and the education system could be exonerated as a
factor in the echoes of gunshots and trigger-happy, gun-toting youths who seem
to be dominating the criminal landscape in increasing numbers, and not just
from the recent past.
If these systems and institutions cannot attract the young;
if the communities and families cannot emanate a different kind of aura;
reorient their view of themselves and their value and worth to our society;
their historical and cultural sense of themselves; if the education system
cannot deliver more substantively on the promise of the value and potential of
learning and schooling and deliver these to young minds in forms that are as
creative and exciting, and with the kinds of rewards as gun handling may be –
economically as well as in terms of social recognition and value then the future trends seem inevitable.
If the school system was offering and delivering education
in forms that could effectively counter the culture of the streets – perhaps
the young man would have been in school, working towards fulfilling his
grandmother’s vision of his potential. Much in the wrong, but very much in the
right too, the grandmother’s initial claim that it was the school’s stickler to
the rules that left her child on the streets, peppered as it was with a
long-held tinge of the philosophical truth behind our school system – that ‘the
purpose of education is to form, not to inform,’ as captured in the Naipaulian
anecdote and a host of literary and other representations.
In over half a century of our political Independence,
schools still wear their colonial garb; the creativity that spring from the
core and centre of our citizens are still relegated to the periphery. We claim,
for example, progress that cultural components as the steelband and creativity
of the Carnival arts have been pulled from the periphery and are now in the
school syllabus, but it is the very fact that they are being taught as subjects,
and not positioned and recognised as core drivers of social change that signal
our shortsightedness. That is to say, that the approach is still skewed. There
are education facilities elsewhere that are using Carnival and our creative
arts – literature, music, drama, design- to teach critical thinking from the
cradle in kindergartens – the kind of education that will cultivate discerning
youths with critical ability to make effective life choices and weigh the
options of a trigger happy life or one that triggers his creative potential.
This is replicated at the level of national planning and
budgeting which continue to relegates the creative sectors to shallow song and
dance comic relief value rather than as the core economic and social driver of
change that it is and that has a place not just in a ministry of culture but as
a driving force of those taken more seriously – the hard knox ministries of
finance, industry and trade, for example.
Demokrissy (www.kris-rampersad.blogspot.com)
was one of the first forums to point out that more strategic thinking would
foresee this kind of critical creative role for a South Campus of the
University of the West Indies, for example. (See this blog) That rather than focus on the traditional
career in law, that it could become an institution that rescues the UWI from
its traditional failings and effectively harness and unleash the rich,
unexplored, undervalued and understudied potential of the south’s ecological, geophysical,
cultural, agricultural and industrial heritage in conjunction with its
traditional value for the energy economy toward a brave new world of new
economic and social opportunity that could stimulate national growth and
progress
Despite being one of the world’s best options of becoming a
model for development, we are a long way
from weaning development from its traditional leanings, to unleash that
potential. For more see: Demokrissy: www.kris-rampersad.blogspot.com
Dr Kris Rampersad is
a development consultant; the UNESCO-trained expert facilitator for the
English-speaking Caribbean in safeguarding heritage and served as an
Independent Expert on the international Consultative Body of the InterGovernmental
Committee on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Next: How the
President’s schoolmasterly admonishments to errant new – and not so new parliamentarians
– might be an echo of the grandmother’s wishful thinking: Something’s missing
in the UN Sustainable Development Goals
#budget2016 #Demokrissy #LeavesOfLife #CaribbeanLiterarySalon #LeavesOfLive #glocalknowledgepot @krisramp @lolleaves @glocalpot @U @UNESCO #SDG #2015UNSDG #MEDg #SDgPoverty #SDGEducation #SDGCulture SDGsustainableCity
Sunday, September 27, 2015
SIDS education culture agenda before UNESCO Executive Board
Details of funds and activities that would impact Small Island Developing States (SIDS) within UNESCO will come before the UNESCO Executive Board’s 197th session in Paris next week.
This was among items promoted by Trinidad and Tobago with Caribbean and SIDS colleagues at the Executive Board’s spring sitting in April 2015. It has hadwidespread support from SIDS and other states of the 58-member Executive Board.
While SIDS has been on the agenda of UNESCO for some time, we felt that UNESCO’s focus on actions should be sharpened, and the budgets available to implement these be specified so as to not be lost among the wide range of activities of UNESCO in the spheres of education, culture, information and communications and science.
We requested the Director General to present specific details of UNESCO’s focus on SIDS so as to assess what gaps needed to be filled, whether in relation to programmes or budgets.
Some 45 other items will receive the Board’s attention over the two week period including the contribution of the programme on Management of Social Transformations to the UN Post 2015 agenda.
Trinidad and Tobago hosted the Latin American and Caribbean MOST Ministers in 2012 while I was chair of the National Commission for UNESCO.
The Execitive Board will also consider proposals to introduce an International Day for the defence of the mangrove ecosystem and an International Access to Information Day; the contribution of UNESCO to combating climate change in COP 21; and UNESCO’s relations with non-governmental partners.
The Executive Board will further consider a protocol to set up a Conciliation and Good Offices Commission that would settle disputes between States Parties to the Convention against Discrimination in Education, and a roadmap for UNESCO’s programme on preventing and addressing school-related gender-based violence.
It will examine recommendations for Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace, on the Status of the Artist, Status of Teachers (CEART) and Higher-Education Teaching Personnel, and reports on the implementation of the Information for All Programme (IFAP, 2014-2015).
Enhancing UNESCO’s Contributions to Promote Culture of Respect; reinforcement of UNESCO’s action for the protection of culture and the promotion of cultural pluralism; preparation of a global convention on the recognition of higher education qualifications; the outcomes of the World Education Forum 2015 and geographical distribution and gender balance of the staff of the UNESCO Secretariat are other agenda items that are of particular relevance to Trinidad and Tobago and the Latin Americans and Caribbean regions.
This was among items promoted by Trinidad and Tobago with Caribbean and SIDS colleagues at the Executive Board’s spring sitting in April 2015. It has hadwidespread support from SIDS and other states of the 58-member Executive Board.
While SIDS has been on the agenda of UNESCO for some time, we felt that UNESCO’s focus on actions should be sharpened, and the budgets available to implement these be specified so as to not be lost among the wide range of activities of UNESCO in the spheres of education, culture, information and communications and science.
We requested the Director General to present specific details of UNESCO’s focus on SIDS so as to assess what gaps needed to be filled, whether in relation to programmes or budgets.
Some 45 other items will receive the Board’s attention over the two week period including the contribution of the programme on Management of Social Transformations to the UN Post 2015 agenda.
Trinidad and Tobago hosted the Latin American and Caribbean MOST Ministers in 2012 while I was chair of the National Commission for UNESCO.
The Execitive Board will also consider proposals to introduce an International Day for the defence of the mangrove ecosystem and an International Access to Information Day; the contribution of UNESCO to combating climate change in COP 21; and UNESCO’s relations with non-governmental partners.
The Executive Board will further consider a protocol to set up a Conciliation and Good Offices Commission that would settle disputes between States Parties to the Convention against Discrimination in Education, and a roadmap for UNESCO’s programme on preventing and addressing school-related gender-based violence.
It will examine recommendations for Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace, on the Status of the Artist, Status of Teachers (CEART) and Higher-Education Teaching Personnel, and reports on the implementation of the Information for All Programme (IFAP, 2014-2015).
Enhancing UNESCO’s Contributions to Promote Culture of Respect; reinforcement of UNESCO’s action for the protection of culture and the promotion of cultural pluralism; preparation of a global convention on the recognition of higher education qualifications; the outcomes of the World Education Forum 2015 and geographical distribution and gender balance of the staff of the UNESCO Secretariat are other agenda items that are of particular relevance to Trinidad and Tobago and the Latin Americans and Caribbean regions.
Dr Kris Rampersad is an independent media cultural and literary educator and consultant. She is the UNESCO-trained facilitator for the English speaking Caribbean on safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and World Heritage Conventions and was an independent expert on the consultative body of the international UNESCO intergovernmental committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage. She has co-chaired UNESCO’s programme and external relations commission since 2014. One of three constitutional organs of UNESCO, the Executive Board is elected by the General Conference to prepare UNESCO’s programme of work and budget estimates and provide oversight to implementation of programmes and actions by the Director-General.
Dr Rampersad will also chair the Education Commission of the UNESCO General Assembly to take place in Paris in November 2015.
Dr Rampersad will also chair the Education Commission of the UNESCO General Assembly to take place in Paris in November 2015.
See also:
https://m.guardian.co.tt/news/2015-09-27/unesco-funds-sids-education-culture-under-scrutiny—rampersad
https://m.guardian.co.tt/news/2015-09-27/unesco-funds-sids-education-culture-under-scrutiny—rampersad
Published:
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Details of funds and activities impacting Small Island Developing States (Sids) within Unesco will come before the executive board’s 197th session in Paris next week.
This was among items promoted by T&T’s representative on the board, Dr Kris Rampersad, with Caribbean colleagues at the board’s spring (April 2015) sitting which has had widespread support from Sids and other states of the 58-member executive board.
“While Sids has been on the agenda of Unesco for some time, we felt that Unesco’s focus on actions should be sharpened, and the budgets available to implement these be specified so as to not be lost among the wide range of activities of Unesco in the spheres of education, culture, information and communications and science, said Dr Rampersad.
“We requested the director general to present specific details of Unesco’s focus on Sids so as to assess what gaps needed to be filled, whether in relation to programmes or budgets.”
Rampersad has co-chaired Unesco’s programme and external relations commission since 2014. One of three constitutional organs of Unesco, the executive board is elected by the general conference to prepare Unesco’s programme of work and budget estimates and provide oversight to implementation of programmes and actions by the director general.
Rampersad noted that some 45 other items will receive the board’s attention over the two-week period, including the contribution of the programme on Management of Social Transformations to the UN Post 2015 agenda, as she recalled that T&T hosted the Latin American and Caribbean MOST Ministers in 2012 while she chaired the national commission for Unesco.
The board will also consider proposals to introduce an International Day for the defence of the mangrove ecosystem and an International Access to Information Day, the contribution of Unesco to combating climate change in COP 21; and Unesco’s relations with non-governmental partners, she said.
Rampersad, who will also chair the Education Commission of the Unesco General Assembly to take place in Paris in November, said the executive board will further consider a protocol to set up a Conciliation and Good Offices Commission that would settle disputes between States Parties to the Convention against Discrimination in Education, and a roadmap for Unesco’s programme on preventing and addressing school-related gender-based violence.
It will examine recommendations for Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace, on the Status of the Artist, Status of Teachers (CEART) and Higher-Education Teaching Personnel.
Reports on the implementation of the Information for All Programme (IFAP) (2014-2015), enhancing Unesco’s Contributions to Promote Culture of Respect, reinforcement of Unesco’s action for the protection of culture and the promotion of cultural pluralism, preparation of a global convention on the recognition of higher education qualifications; the outcomes of the World Education Forum 2015 and geographical distribution and gender balance of the staff of the Unesco Secretariat are other agenda items that are of particular relevance to T&T and the Latin Americans and Caribbean regions, said Rampersad.
News
Friday, September 18, 2015
Economic Options Governments cannot ignore Budget2015 The Emperor's New Tools
Between the euphoria of gaining office and the trepidation at what lies ahead with plummeting oil economy, the new Government of Trinidad and Tobago is not without options to propel the socio-cultural and economic well being of the country forward with some new innovative, imaginative, and progressive-thinking economic alternatives that are only waiting to be grasped. (Click on images this page to view videos)Slow, that is, in comparison to where it can be, with the natural and human resource base it has and what it could achieve with such a range of heritage resources from the technological and industrial of the energy sector to its geophysical and multicultural amalgam.
Add to that the grip of politically-perpetuated divisiveness that has seeped - some may want to believe, inobtrusively (some of us, otherwise) - into the psyche on display on social media during and post- election-mania, and which continuously surfaces in the ways in which our institutions function; the perpetually-in-crisis-for-the-last-decade integrity commission for instance and which has contributed in no small measure to such economic and socio-cultural retardation.
What suffers in all of this is - apart from denying ourselves access to an enormous economic esoteric resource base that can open up new income generating, employment and avenues for prosperity for every segment of our society - we are also stifling the socio-cultural impacts effective inclusive orientations, outlooks, programmes and actions can have on a society.As a small island state, with limited land space, bounded by the sea, and a population, numerically small albeit with boundless skills, talented and creativity, we cannot afford to ignore that those elements considered our limitations are also our strengths..
The historical demarcations that continue to challenge the forging, and forging ahead of our society, remain the ongoing challenge of political governance.
It was for the last regime and those that preceded it, and it will remain the challenge of this regime.
Tapping into the intelligence, the knowledge and skills, and the strengths of a relatively educated and incontestably talented population while drawing out the potential of these resources would require ....
(to be continued ...More...next: education options....Dr Kris Rampersad is an independent multimedia, and multicultural educator, facilitator and consultant...
Ask about LiTTscapes and custommade LiTTours: Journeys through the Landscapes of Fiction from Trinidad and Tobago; & LiTTributes: Tributes to our synergised oral and literary cultural heritage experiences.
Search this blog for more on the Emperor's New Tools series; Creative, Cultural Heritage initiatives...
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
T&T Author To Chair UNESCO Education Commission
| Trinidad author to chair UNESCO Education Commission | |||||||||||
 Dr Kris Rampersad, Trinidad and Tobago representative on UNESCO Executive Board, 2013 to 2017 PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- The particular challenges of small island developing states (SIDS), and the particular realities of Trinidad and Tobago as a small island with a continental physical and natural heritage, require special focus within UNESCO programmes and budgets, according to recommendations presented by Dr Kris Rampersad, Trinidad and Tobago representative to the UNESCO executive board during its 196th session in Paris, France. Rampersad was unanimously presented by colleagues of the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) and accepted by the executive board to chair the Education Commission at the upcoming 38th sessions of the UNESCO general assembly to take place in November. The decision took place at the 196th session of the UNESCO executive board, on which Rampersad serves as the representative of Trinidad and Tobago. She has been unanimously elected to co-chair the executive board’s Programme and External Relations Commission for the three consecutive sessions since 2013. The general assembly and the executive board are the two governing organs of UNESCO. “These provide considerable opportunities to advance Trinidad and Tobago’s presence in UNESCO which is working to build a culture of peace and share our experiences and challenges in the region in this respect in the face of numerous challenges, including size and capacity as small island sovereign states,” she said. Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh has commended Rampersad’s work on the UNESCO board and her upcoming chairmanship of Trinidad and Tobago, recognising the significant place Trinidad and Tobago has occupied within UNESCO, now celebrating its 70th anniversary. The Trinidad and Tobago representative maintained a high level of participation and representation in the numerous activities of the executive board strengthening networks with representatives of SIDS, the Commonwealth, GRULAC, and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) within UNESCO. She presented the Trinidad and Tobago national Leading for Literacy Now! project as a model approach to address challenges with literacy; and identified challenges identified in the allied National Commission Leading for Numeracy initiatives. Leading for Literacy Now was a programme introduced during her term as chair of the National Commission (2011-2015) in conjunction with declaration of a Decade for Literacy for Trinidad and Tobago implemented by the Elizabeth Crouch-headed Education Committee of the National Commission. It was inspired by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova’s 10,000 Principal Leadership programme, with financial support from UNESCO, the ministry of education, the private sector and also represents a model UNESCO-public-private sector partnership initiative. Rampersad has actively contributed to UNESCO’s efforts over the past two years in defining actions for programmes and budgets that will meet the needs of small island states; and suggested ways of deepening synergies across UNESCO programme areas of science, education, cultural heritage conservation and advancing the creative industries, and use of information and communications to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness and cost savings. She advocated the need to ensure balanced and equitable programme focus and allocations through the debates on UNESCO’s role in the UN post-2015 education agenda; UNESCO’s alignment with the Global Geo Parks initiative, protection of journalists, the centralisation of culture in development, and a deeper role of UNESCO Institute of Statistics in matters related to SIDS. She further participated in UNESCO’s introduction of a new International Day of University Sports, the rights to learning without fear and making classrooms safe zones, facilitation of technical and vocational education and education in the digital age; the place of information and communication technologies to advance learning of persons with disabilities; developing global citizenship, among others. Rampersad is an author and an independent media, cultural and literary development educator and consultant. She was appointed to the UNESCO executive board in 2013, following UNESCO elections in which Trinidad and Tobago polled the highest number of votes within the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC). http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Trinidad-author-to-chair-UNESCO-Education-Commission-27489.html
http://newsday.co.tt/news/0,216691.html
The particular challenges of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and the particular realities of Trinidad and Tobago as a small island with a continental physical and natural heritage, require special focus within UNESCO programmes and budgets.
This was among the recommendations presented by Dr Kris Rampersad, Trinidad and Tobago (TT) Representative to the UNESCO Executive Board during its 196th session in Paris, France.
Rampersad was presented by colleagues of the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) and accepted by the Executive Board to chair the Education Commission at the upcoming 38th sessions of the UNESCO General Assembly to take place in November. The decision took place at the 196th session of the UNESCO Executive Board, in which Rampersad serves as the TT Representative. She has been elected to co-chair the Executive Board’s Programme and External Relations Commission for the three consecutive sessions since 2013 – 194th, 195th, and 196th. The General Assembly and the Executive Board are the two governing organs of UNESCO. “These provide considerable opportunities to advance Trinidad and Tobago’s presence in UNESCO which is working to build a culture of peace and share our experiences and challenges in the region in this respect in the face of numerous challenges, including size and capacity as small island sovereign states,” she said. Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh has commended D Rampersad’s work on the UNESCO Board and her upcoming chairmanship of TT, recognising the significant place TT has occupied within UNESCO, now celebrating its 70th anniversary. The TT representative maintained a high level of participation and representation in the numerous activities of the Executive Board strengthening networks with representatives of SIDS, the Commonwealth, GRULAC, and CARICOM within UNESCO. She presented the TT national Leading for Literacy Now! Project as a model approach to address challenges with literacy; and identified challenges identified in the allied National Commission Leading for Numeracy initiatives. Leading for Literacy Now was a programme introduced during her term as Chair of the National Commission (2011-2015) in conjunction with declaration of a Decade for Literacy for Trinidad and Tobago implemented by the Elizabeth Crouch-headed Education Committee of the National Commission. It was inspired by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova’s 10,000 Principal Leadership programme, with financial support from UNESCO, the Ministry of Education, the private sector and also represents a model UNESCO-public- private sector partnership initiative. Rampersad has actively contributed to UNESCO’s efforts over the past two years in defining actions for programmes and budgets that will meet the needs of Small Island States; and suggested ways of deepening synergies across UNESCO programme areas of science, education, cultural heritage conservation and advancing the creative industries, and use of information and communications to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness and cost savings. She advocated the need to ensure balanced and equitable programme focus and allocations through the debates on UNESCO’s role in the UN post- 2015 education agenda; UNESCO’s alignment with the Global Geo Parks initiative, protection of journalists, the centralisation of culture in development, and a deeper role of UNESCO Institute of Statistics in matters related to SIDS. She further participated in UNESCO’s introduction of a new International Day of University Sports, the rights to learning without fear and making classrooms safe zones, facilitation of technical and vocational education and education in the digital age; the place of information and communication technologies to advance learning of persons with disabilities; developing global citizenship, among others. Rampersad is an author and an independent media, cultural and literary development educator and consultant. She was appointed to the UNESCO Executive Board in 2013, following UNESCO elections in which TT polled the highest number of votes within the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries. Trinidad author to chair UNESCO Education Commission
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad -- The particular challenges of small island developing states , and the particular realities of Trinidad and Tobago as a small island with a continental physical and natural heritage, require special focus within UNESCO programmes and budgets, according to recommendations presented by Dr Kris Rampersad, Trinidad and Tobago representative to the UNESCO executive board during its 196th session in Paris, France. Rampersad was unanimously presented by colleagues of the Latin American and Caribbean Group and accepted by the executive board to chair the Education Commission at the upcoming 38th sessions of the UNESCO general assembly to take place in November.
Start the conversation, or Read more at Caribbean News Now!
T&T author chairs Unesco Education Commission
Published:
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Dr Kris Rampersad
Author and former T&T Guardian Sunday editor Dr Kris Rampersad says special focus should be give to small island states by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).
Rampersad, who represented T&T at the Unesco Executive Board during its 196th session in Paris, said because of the challenges of small states, countries like T&T required special focus within Unesco programmes and budgets.
She suggested ways of “deepening synergies in the areas of science, education, cultural heritage conservation and advancing the creative industries, and use of information and communications to achieve greater efficiency, effectiveness and cost savings.”
Rampersad also said there was a need to ensure balanced and equitable programme focus and allocations through the debates on Unesco’s role in the UN post-2015 education agenda.
She also called for “Unesco’s alignment with the Global Geo Parks initiative, protection of journalists, the centralisation of culture in development, and a deeper role of Unesco Institute of Statistics in matters related to SIDs.”
Rampersad has also advocated the rights to learning without fear, making classrooms safe zones, facilitation of technical and vocational education in the digital age, helping the disabled with ICT and developing global citizenship.
http://www.cnc3.co.tt/aggregator/sources/1
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