Last Updated on August 8, 2024, 6:51 AM AST by Anthony Morris
St Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO received grants that will help promote the government’s Sustainable Development Agenda.
Through the Federation’s envoy to the agency, the St Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO was informed that three grants had been awarded to the Federation to receive technical and financial support in the fields of education, biodiversity and gender policy implementation.
All these grants and support aims to strengthen the institutional capacity.
Approximately UNESCO will be sending US$60,000 under its Participation Programme to enable the Federation to implement the final stages of national accreditation of qualifications scheme, the national gender policy framework and a plan for the transformation of the St Mary’s Biosphere Reserve into a plastic-free zone.
Dorothy Warner, the Secretary General, noted that a major part of this funding is dedicated to education policy, covering several vital things.
The funding will be covering the professionalising of the national teaching force, integrating education for sustainable development (ESD) into the national curriculum and strengthening the Federation’s National Accreditation Framework.
Secretary Warner added that “We are very happy to benefit from UNESCO’s unique expertise in these fields.”
Dr Geoffery Hanley, Minister responsible for UNESCO related matters, described the UNESCO decision to contribute to the Federation’s sustainability goals with tangible expertise in education, gender and biodiversity expertise as “Excellent”.
Two UNESCO-appointed experts will return to St. Kitts and Nevis early next year to finalize the implementation of the Federation’s National Accreditation Framework to ensure a system for reviewing and approving higher-level qualifications in the post-secondary sector.
This will include a draft legislative framework with policies and procedures to be followed by the reformed Accreditation Board, covering accreditation policies, registration and accreditation.
Along with the recent funding, St. Kitts and Nevis is pursuing a range of other capacity-building projects with UNESCO input.
David Doyle, the Federation’s Ambassador to UNESCO works closely with the National Commission and expresses the Federation’s sustainability needs at UNESCO HQ level.
Equally delighted with the recent UNESCO funding, Ambassador David commented, “The targeted and focused nature of high-level technical expertise negotiated with UNESCO is now bearing fruit, benefiting the government ministries, professions, and the wider stakeholder communities, including youth.”
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
