By Nelson A. King From Caribbean Life

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Permanent Mission to the United Nations said it has led the successful adoption of a UN resolution on World Creativity and Innovation Day.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador to the UN, I. Rhonda King, said on Friday that the resolution was successfully tabled by her Mission the day before and adopted by the UN General Assembly. “This resolution calls for the international recognition of April 21 as the day to highlight the role of creativity and innovation in problem-solving and, by extension, the implementation of the [UN] Sustainable Development Goals and, ultimately, achieving the future we want,” King told Caribbean Life.

“Beyond the obvious call for the recognition of the day internationally, the resolution also intends to initiate a discussion around the options available to countries, especially developing countries, in addressing the many issues that they grapple with in their quest for development,” she added.

King said that while developing countries, such as those in the Caribbean, are “unfairly seen as too dependent on aid from developed countries, the application of creative thinking and the use of available technologies can provide solutions to some of their most pressing problems, such as poverty eradication, the elimination of hunger and job creation.”

The UN diplomat pointed to the construction of the Argyle International Airport in her native land as “a prime local example of the use of creativity in a large scale, macro infrastructural project that was otherwise, and through ‘business as usual’ methodologies, seen as an insurmountable challenge.”

In a statement before the adoption of the resolution, King pointed to recent research that explored the role of creative expression in problem-solving and innovation.

She said that Scott G. Isaken, at the Norwegian Business School “focused on the development of methodologies aimed at deliberately nurturing creative thinking,” and mirrored the creative process “in ways that allow individuals and groups to explicitly call on and employ their creative faculties.”

“Developed and developing countries around the world are recognizing the utility in these research findings and are embracing the idea that our creative capital is our most valuable asset today,” King said. “We agree also that it is an asset that should be deployed in the implementation of [UN] Agenda 2030.”

King said the resolution received widespread support from Member States of the United Nations, stating that more than 85 countries joined St. Vincent and the Grenadines as co-sponsors, “signaling their support for this initiative and choosing to claim ownership of the resolution by their co-sponsorship.”

The Vincentian envoy said the adoption of the resolution will be followed by the launch of a website in the summer of this year that will be dedicated to the promotion of examples and best practices that highlight the use of creative thinking and technologies toward the achievement of sustainable development.

She said St. Vincent and the Grenadines, through the UN Permanent Mission, will act as the coordinating agent for events at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on April 21 annually, beginning with a World Creativity and Innovation Summit on April 20, 2018 to celebrate the first official World Creativity and Innovation Day, April 21, 2018.

For more on this story go to: http://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2017/5/2017-05-05-nk-world-creativity-day-cl.html

IMAGE: Flag St V&G