The Gambia became a member of the Executive
Board of UNESCO when it won elections on November 2, 2011. Out of the 186
member states entitled to vote, only three ballot papers were declared null and
void.
The Gambia gained fifty-six per cent of the total votes cast for member
states coming from the sub-group representing Africa South of the Sahara.
Twelve countries in Africa vied for eight seats on the Board.
The Executive Board oversees the overall
management of UNESCO. It also prepares the work of the General Conference,
which is composed of the 195 member states and sees that its decisions are
executed. The General Conference assigns specific tasks to the Board during its
biennial meetings. It elects the fifty-eight members of the Board. The
Executive Board meets twice a year.
The Gambia’s membership of this
important organ of UNESCO affords it the opportunity to participate in the
decision- making process, easily access information about activities and
benefit from major programmes. It will also increase the visibility of the
country.
During the current General
Conference being held in Paris, The Gambia also won seats on the International
Programme for the Development of Communication, IPDC and the Headquarters
Committee of UNESCO. The IPDC is responsible for all communication and
information projects funded by UNESCO. It has, recently financed the
establishment of a community radio station in Bansang in the Central River
Region. The Headquarters Committee oversees the management of the
infrastructure of UNESCO.
The Gambian delegation to this
year’s UNESCO General Conference is led by Hon. Fatou Lamin Faye, Minister of
Basic and Secondary Education and Chairperson of the Gambia National Commission
for UNESCO. Other members of the delegation include the Ministers of Culture
and Tourism, Higher Education, Science and Technology, senior staff of the
Gambia National Commission for UNESCO, Ministries of Basic & Secondary
Education, Higher Education, Communication, the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO
and the National Centre for Arts and Culture.
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