WINDHOEK – Dr David Namwandi, Minister of Education and the minister responsible for relations with Unesco is heading the Namibian delegation to the 37th session of the Unesco General Conference underway in Paris.
Namwandi is accompanied by Stanley Simataa, the Deputy Minister for Information and Technology. Namwandi is expected to deliver the Namibian national statement in which he would outline the strategic orientations and programmatic priorities of Namibia in education, the sciences, culture and communication and information on Friday. The conference ends on November 20. The main functions of the conference are to determine the policies and main lines of work of the organization and to consider and approve the Unesco medium-term strategy after every eight years, as well as to consider and approve the Unesco programme and budget after every four years.
The conference will also adopt standard-setting instruments such as conventions, declarations and recommendations in the organization’s fields of competence, including elections for a new director general next week Tuesday. The candidates for the director’s position are the incumbent director general, Irina Bokova from Bulgaria, Rachad Farah the ambassador of Djbouti to France and Joseph Maila from Lebanon. Members of the Unesco executive board and intergovernmental councils and committees will also be elected. The conference will also consider and approve the Unesco medium-term strategy for 2014-2021 and the programme and budget for 2014-2017.
By Staff Reporter