For the first time in five decades, Guyana has been elected to the Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The position on the board allows Guyana to take a lead role in shaping standards and developing solutions for UNESCO’s 194 member states in the areas of education, science, culture, and communication.
The election of the new members of the Executive Board took place on Friday at the 43rd General Conference of UNESCO, which is taking place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
In her recent speech to the conference in Uzbekistan, the Honourable Minister of Education, Sonia Parag, emphasized the need for academic equality and inclusion, outlining for member states all that the Government of Guyana has been doing and plans to do in ensuring quality education can be accessed by all. She also stated that Guyana is committed to not only preserving its rich cultural heritage, but also to proactively nurture creativity and cultural industries as vital engines of economic growth and deeper social cohesion.
The UNESCO Constitution states that: “Peace based exclusively upon the political and economic arrangements of governments would not be a peace which could secure the unanimous, lasting and sincere support of the peoples of the world, […] peace must therefore be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind.”
President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, only recently reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to education, stating: “Guyana remains committed to Sustainable Development Goal number four, and inclusive and quality education for all. Presently, however, there are educational gaps nationally, which can frustrate the objective. We are adopting measures to narrow these gaps, including introducing more in-person tutoring, reforming the national curriculum, extending the use of ICT in education, increasing access to digital and non-digital educational resources, and increasing distance education.”
