Minister for Culture of the Republic of Latvia
Ms Melbārde has worked as Secretary General of the Latvian National Commission at UNESCO, as Deputy State Secretary for Cultural Policy at the Ministry of Culture, as Country Manager for the British Council in Latvia, as Director of the National State Centre for Arts Education and Intangible Heritage and as an organiser of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in 2013. On taking up the post of Minister for Culture, Ms Melbārde also returned to the Latvian National Commission at UNESCO as its president. In 2013, Ms Melbārde was Chairperson of the Culture Commission during the 37th session of the General Conference of UNESCO. Under her leadership, the Latvian Song and Dance Celebration tradition was put forward for inclusion in the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Ms Melbārde holds an MA in the Theory of Culture (Latvian Academy of Culture, 1996) and an MSc in Public Administration (University of Latvia, 2001).
Photo: Jānis Deinats