PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Minister Plenipotentiary Josianne Fleming-Artsen, co-hosted a reception held at the residence of the Kingdom Ambassador to United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Lionel Veer, on November 4th, during the 38th UNESCO General Conference in Paris, France.
The theme of the event was ‘Small Island Development States (SIDS). The Kingdom choose this topic to showcase their SIDS, whom are all currently associate members of UNESCO. This gathering was an opportunity for SIDS to share ideas and strengthen partnerships.
During her welcoming remarks Minister Plenipotentiary Fleming-Artsen, underlined the importance of investing in educating and training the SIDS populations to ensure the development of resilient communities and sustainable economies.
Minister Plenipotentiary Fleming-Artsen, further highlighted the need to continue building partnerships with other SIDS; to share best practices and learn from the experiences of others having faced similar obstacles.
In closing, Minister Plenipotentiary Fleming-Artsen reconfirmed Sint Maarten’s support and sponsorship of the Resolution to reinforce UNESCO’s strategy on SIDS, and asked those in attendance to continue to champion the call for UNESCO to have SIDS as a global priority.
The Sint Maarten delegation includes Marcellia Henry, Secretary General of the Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO, and Minister Plenipotentiary Cabinet Advisor Carol Voges.
The 38th UNESCO General Conference started on November 3 and runs to the 18.
PHOTO CUTLINE: L to R: Lionel Veer, Kingdom Ambassador to UNESCO, Otmar Oduber, Minister of Tourism, Transportation and Labor affairs of Aruba, Minister Plenipotentiary Josianne Fleming-Artsen, Sint Maarten, Irene Dick, Minister for Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Curaçao, and Jet Bussemaker, Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands.
