SIMPSON MILLER
JAMAICA BECAME the first Caribbean nation to have a representative on the board of trustees of CIFAL Atlanta, following the election of Minister Portia Simpson Miller to that post last Thursday.
CIFAL is the International Training Centre for Local Authorities. There are 12 CIFAL centres worldwide, which provide training for local authorities.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Minister Simpson Miller is one of four ministers on the board of nine members, which includes the deputy secretary general of the United Nations, the mayor of Atlanta, a representative of the Organisation of American States, Ambassador Andrew Young of the United States, representatives of Mercusor, Central America and India.
The board of trustees is the decision-making body of CIFAL Atlanta, responsible for the allocation of United Nations' resources for planning and research for Local Authorities in the Western Hemisphere.
The minister's appointment makes her the first Caribbean representative to be appointed this new position to represent the region. The appointment came out of an Atlanta-based two-day conference for local authorities aimed at facilitating an in-depth discussion among decision makers from the Caribbean region on the benefits and challenges of common markets.
