Jemila Holaman represented St. Maarten at the 13th UNESCO Youth Forum at the
42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Paris, France. The forum, which
was held from November 13 to 15, 2023, saw the participation of over 150 young
people from around the world.
This year, the UNESCO Youth Forum focused on the social impacts of climate change
and the need to achieve an equitable climate transition. The participants were given the
opportunity to bring forward concrete recommendations and actions to address this
issue.
Ms. Holaman, who is a PhD (Medicine) student with a bachelor’s and master’s degree
in biomedical science, has a wealth of experience in academic research across several
disciplines and in devising and validating conceivable interventions and solutions. She
has been recognized for her accomplishments and was awarded the Faculty of Health,
Education and Life Science, School of Health Sciences Student of Excellence (2020).
Coming from a scientific, research-focused background, she used her knowledge about
the impact on human behaviours on the climate to contribute to the discussions at the
youth forum. In addition, Ms. Holaman was invited to participate in a panel on the ethics
of neurotechnology, where she gave her opinion on why a global standard-setting
framework on the ethics of neurotechnology is needed today. She also discussed how
the young generation is affected by the rapid advancements in neurotechnology and the
role their unique perspective and input could play. Also she was given the opportunity
to advise policy makers on the rapid evolutions in the field of neurotechnology and the
ethical governance of these technologies.
“The Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO congratulates Ms. Jemila
Holaman on her exemplary performance at the 13th UNESCO Youth Forum. Your
contribution to dialogues on the social impact of climate change and the need for an
equitable climate transition dialogue was well received, and your opinions provided
during the panel discussions was valuable. You represented the island, and we look
forward to you sharing what you learnt,” stated Marcellia Henry, Secretary General-
UNESCO.