News Room

SCOTCH PLAINS, New Jersey (September 20, 2010) – One of the world’s foremost experts on environmental conservation and development will be the convenor of the Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) on Sustainable Tourism in Kingston, Jamaica next week.

An accomplished diplomat, thinker and international civil servant, Jamaica’s Dr. Noel Brown, former director of the United Nations Environment Programme (North American Regional Office), will chair the proceedings of the media and tourism conference in the Jamaican capital, from September 30 to October 4, 2010.

“Noel Brown is so widely respected and awarded on the global stage it is an honour for us to return him to his own country to lead our talks which we hope will help Jamaica and the Caribbean identify options for harnessing tourism to help the region’s people build better lives for themselves,” said CMEx Vice President, Lelei LeLaulu.

LeLaulu said Dr. Brown’s “incredible knowledge base and experience of how the international system works will be a huge asset” to the four-day CMEx Kingston conference which is being held under the theme “Tourism: Linkages for Growth.”

Dr. Brown holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics from Seattle University, an M.A. in International Law and Organization from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in International Relations from Yale University. He also holds a diploma in International Law from The Hague Academy of International Law.

Over the past two decades, the Jamaican national represented UNEP at the most important international conferences and negotiations on environment and development issues as well as on international law, including the historic 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Dr. Brown currently serves as President of the Friends of the United Nations, a non-governmental organization dedicated to advancing the cause of the United Nations by mobilizing public support on its behalf and directing public attention to its major programmes and achievements.

In addition to participating in CMEx’s signature interactive symposia, delegates will also experience Jamaica’s vibrant culture and rich heritage and engage in community service, giving back to needy communities.

Since 2001, CMEx has produced 18 conferences and symposia throughout the Caribbean and North America to underscore the value of the region’s largest industry, tourism, in improving the health, education, culture, environment and wealth of Caribbean communities, in a climate friendly fashion.

The upcoming CMEx meeting is supported by the Jamaica Tourist Board and Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism. Additional contributors include: Air Jamaica/ Caribbean Airlines, Altamont Court Hotel, American Airlines, Anse Chastanet Resort, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Barbara Pyle Foundation, Bay Gardens Resorts, Caribbean Business Enterprise Trust, Caribbean Broadcasting Union, Caribbean Tourism Organization, CaribWorldNews, Choice Hotels International, Coco Palm, Community Benefit Development, 4P Group, Jade Mountain, Marketplace Excellence, Mayberry Investments Ltd., michaelD. communications, Ruder Finn, Scotchies Tree, Spirit Airlines, SuperClubs, St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, Saint Lucia Tourist Board, Spanish Court Hotel, Tourism Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago, U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism and The SpeakEasy M.E.D.I.A. Foundation.

For further information, visit www.cmexmedia.org

About The Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx)

The Caribbean Media Exchange produces interactive symposia that match journalists from the Caribbean, North America and Europe with representatives of the government, business hospitality and development sectors to discuss tourism policies aimed at improving the lives of
Caribbean people.

Since its inception in October 2001, CMEx has helped improve the quality of media coverage of sustainable tourism in the Caribbean; increase the media’s participation in the design of sustainable tourism policies; remind government decision makers of the impact of tourism on other sectors of the economy; and highlight the necessity of tourism to the economies of small island states.

Its mission is “to be the premier communications organization promoting sustainable tourism, through media and smart partnerships, to create holistic wealth for all peoples, including those in Latin America, the Caribbean and other Emerging Markets.”

The Caribbean Media Exchange is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) organization.

For additional details, visit www.cmexmedia.org.