Kingston, 13 April 2026 - The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport has signed a Letter of Intent with Unesco to enhance cooperation in culture and the creative economy, with a focus on building resilience following natural disasters like Hurricane Melissa.

The letter of Intent was signed the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, and the Director-General of Unesco, Mr Khaled El- Enany.

Minister Grange said, “In the Letter of Intent LOI, the Ministry and UNESCO commit to closer collaboration to support cultural communities, artists, musicians, and creative entrepreneurs. A series of discussions and working meetings scheduled over the next six months is expected to culminate in the development of a detailed cooperation agreement.

"Hurricane Melissa tested our infrastructure but could not break our spirit - our culture proved yet again to be not only powerful and vibrant, but indispensable to recovery and our well-being.”

She praised “the invaluable contribution of our cultural communities, entertainers, sporting personalities, and more generally, the creative industries in mobilising relief, ongoing recovery efforts, and resurgence initiatives.”

Mr El-Enany’s visit came just ahead of Jamaica’s participation in the Executive Board meeting of Unesco, in which a delegation led by Minister Grange is participating. The Executive Board is Unesco’s principal decision-making body between General Conferences.

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