Jamaica joined the rest of the world in celebrating the International Day for Monuments and Sites, through a ceremony for the unveiling of gateway signage for the Blue and John Crow Mountains World Heritage property, as well as, a symposium on Sports for National Development, at the University of Technology of Jamaica.

The 2016 International Day for Monuments and Sites was dedicated to the theme 'The Heritage of Sport' in recognition of specific types of heritage related to the history of sports.  UNESCO's International Charter of Physical Education, Physical Activity and Sport, revised in November 2015, recalls that traditional and indigenous games, dances and sports, also in their modern and emerging forms, express the world's rich cultural heritage and must be protected and promoted.

"We are protecting the Blue and John Crow Mountains World Heritage site not only for ourselves, but for the people of the world," declared the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, as she unveiled the gateway signs.  In an effort to showcase how the country and those living in and around the site can benefit, the Minister highlighted ways in which the inscription of the Blue and John Crow Mountains can be capitalised on, noting the connection it has with Jamaica's tourism product and how it can be an added marketing tool for the industry.

Member of Parliament for East Rural St. Andrew, Juliet Holness, whose constituency occupies part of the Blue and John Crow Mountains, gave brief remarks at the unveiling and noted that she too looks forward to seeing community members reaping economic gains from the World Heritage property.

Mayor of Kingston, Angela Brown Burke, emphasized that more efforts should be made to promote the property to Jamaicans, to allow local communities to better know their rich history and heritage and appreciate it.

Programme Specialist for Culture of the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean, Yuri Peshkov, stressed the important role of heritage, sport and creativity in the improvement of human life and underlined global significance of the International Day on Monuments and Sites to encourage local communities and individuals to consider the importance of cultural heritage to their lives, identities and communities.

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport of Jamaica will erect two other signs, one in Bath, St Thomas and the other in Port Antonio, Portland as the other two major gateways to Jamaica's first World Heritage property.  The Blue and John Crow Mountains was inscribed to the UNESCO's World Heritage List on July 3, 2015.