Photo by: Kelly Bell 

The Canada Council for the Arts recently announced the appointment of Danika Billie Littlechild as Vice-President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCU). Ms. Littlechild takes up her duties immediately.The announcement was made jointly by Simon Brault, Director and CEO of the Canada Council, and Christina Cameron, President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. The Commission operates within the Canada Council for the Arts.The announcement was made jointly by Simon Brault, Director and CEO of the Canada Council, and Christina Cameron, President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. The Commission operates within the Canada Council for the Arts.The announcement was made jointly by Simon Brault, Director and CEO of the Canada Council, and Christina Cameron, President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. The Commission operates within the Canada Council for the Arts.

"The Canadian Commission for UNESCO is proud to announce the appointment of Danika Billie Littlechild. She is the first Aboriginal person to be appointed to the Office of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO in its almost sixty years of existence. Danika has been contributing to the work of the CCU since 2003 on a range of issues including youth, culture, the environment and human rights. Her experience and knowledge will continue to enrich the accomplishments of the Commission," said Christina Cameron, President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.

Littlechild is a lawyer from the Ermineskin Cree Nation in Alberta and practices law with Indigenous peoples in several areas of expertise: governance, indigenous legal systems, environment and international law. A member of the CCU for more than a decade, she was Chair and Vice Chair of the Sectoral Commission, Culture, Communication and Information between 2003 and 2012.

"I am delighted to return to the Canadian Commission for UNESCO after having worked and "grown up" within the organization. Miyo-wahkohtowin, which means "good relations," is the Cree word that I would use to describe the years I have spent working and collaborating with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO. My aim now is to maintain and promote that same spirit in my new duties as Vice-President," said Danika Billie Littlechild, Vice-President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.