CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (December 14, 2006)
General Secretary for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Mr. Antonio Maynard has encouraged Nevisians to familiarise themselves with projects and programmes offered by the Organisation and to take advantage of them.
Mr. Maynard’s advise came at the end of a UNESCO sponsored Library training project certificate award ceremony on Tuesday December 12, 2006, at the Department of Education, Marion Heights in Nevis in a bid to raise UNESCO’s profile and sensitise the public on Nevis.
He said, though UNESCO funded projects had increased on Nevis over the years, there were many more available that had not been fully utilised.“UNESCO activities in Nevis have increased over the past year but there is a lot more that needs to be done in order to take advantage of the many opportunities that UNESCO presents”¦ I want to invite all of you to really get familiar with the activities, programmes and projects that UNESCO has to offer. UNESCO is only a standard setter and therefore we need to pursue the other activities that relate directly to libraries in the schools.
“I am sure there funds available through UNESCO to create, build and establish library centres around the island of Nevis. So I want to encourage every one of you to get involved in the activities. Talk to Janette Maloney, talk to Mr. Bailey and especially do your research on the internet at the UNESCO website. There are a lot of opportunities that are going begging and we could capitalise and utilise them right here on Nevis,” he said.
Mr Maynard also took the opportunity to outline a number of existing projects on the island through the Department of Education and outlined other projects earmarked for Nevis in 2007.
He said there was an urgent need for proper human resource and organisational structures that were sustainable.
“I want to indicate here, that the other projects that are being executed other than this one are the Youth Path Project, the Small Island Voice Project, the ASP Net Programme – that is not very active in Nevis but in a few months we would be putting a lot of energy in those project especially within the schools -. An extra budgetary project called Capacity Building and Development of Human Resource for Technical and Vocational Education is being executed as we speak and I am sure that a number of persons in Nevis are involved through the Ministry of Education.
“Also early next year we should be launching another participatory project called Arts in Motion and Mrs. Maloney is going to be the mover and shaker of that project. That project involves teaching arts in all its forms in and within the schools,” Mr Maynard explained.
Mr Maynard said UNESCO was about sharing knowledge which was an essential part of its constitutional mandate. Through its various portals offered a wide array of services to each of its member’s professional communities in the area of communication and information which included library services and much more.