The Ministry of Agriculture held its first meeting on the implementation of the St. Kitts and Nevis Agriculture Transformation & Growth Strategy 2022-2031 on November 29, 2022. Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Miguel Flemming, described the meeting as necessary to bring various stakeholders together to strengthen cooperation and capacity-building.
 
“We are gathered here with key stakeholders including the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) so that we can discuss the St. Kitts and Nevis Agriculture Transformation & Growth Strategy 2022-2031. And we felt that it was important that we get a round-table discussion where everyone can chime in in terms of the way forward for agriculture in St. Kitts and Nevis. It is no use to have a plan, but you do not go through the plan, and you do not get the persons that are in the field to help to vet the document and to contribute to the shortage, medium and long-term goals since we are working towards 2031. We know that everything cannot be done overnight but it is important that we agree on the way forward,” said Acting Permanent Secretary Flemming.
 
The session saw presentations by Acting Permanent Secretary Flemming, Mr. Huey Sergeant, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Housing, Cooperatives and Fisheries on Nevis, and Mr. Daniel Arthurton, National Consultant.
 
The Ministry received technical and financial support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to develop the new national strategic plan for agriculture in St. Kitts and Nevis. This long-term plan will outline the path for the sector to transform and essentially reach its sustainable development goals.
 
“We are very serious about the development of agriculture in St. Kitts and Nevis. We want to ensure that we secure our food and we do not have an economy where the importing class alone is making money. We will boost local production; we will support the farmers on the ground, and we need to find ways to get more work done in the country and that’s what’s going to happen over the next few years,” said PS Flemming.
 
The implementation of this strategy is being led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources in St. Kitts and the Ministry of Agriculture on Nevis in collaboration with farmers, fishers, and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs et al, the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, continues to champion the Government’s agenda by engaging with bilateral partners and exploring avenues that would aid in the development of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
 
The Honourable Minister, on Friday 25^th November, 2022, met with the High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Saint Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency Scott Furssedonn Wood MVO, to discuss the priorities of the Government, and the relationship between Saint Kitts and Nevis and the United Kingdom.
 
Dr. Douglas indicated that one of the Government’s main priorities is the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. It is projected that by 2030, Saint Kitts and Nevis should be a one hundred percent renewable energy state and be able to tap into the potential of being a net exporter of renewable energy.
 
The High Commissioner was excited about this idea and affirmed the support of the United Kingdom in this initiative.
 
As it relates to global concerns, the United Kingdom expressed its appreciation to the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis for its stance on the issue surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and thanked the Government for its continued efforts in maintaining the relationship between the United Kingdom and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Stories of courage, inspiration, and valiant leadership; service to others, academic and sporting excellence, spiritual commitment, and others were shared and celebrated at a Special Sitting of the Federal Parliament to recognize the 25 Most Remarkable Teens in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The award ceremony was held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort Ballroom on November 30, 2022. Awards were presented by Members of Parliament from the government and opposition benches.

Junior Minister responsible for Youth Empowerment, the Honourable Isalean Phillip, expressed great pleasure that the young people are being recognized for demonstrating excellence in taking the initiative to develop themselves by giving service to their community and society as a whole.

“We are not only recognizing excellence in terms of the typical scholarly achievements of volunteerism but we also recognize and award displays and demonstrations of strong character and civic responsibility with traits of being able to persevere, having determination for success, to lead, and to shift life paths and trajectory,” the Junior Minister stated.

She noted that the annual programme, which was initiated in 2011, does not just award the teens, but also engages them in training to develop and execute community projects to further personal growth and the spirit to give back.

“These young people represent the future,” Honourable Phillip said. “They also represent the present because they are doing quite a bit presently in their lives to support each other and support communities and so I hope that we can sit and feel very proud and feel very secure that our future is in safe hands and that we have confidence in the human capital that we are developing.”

The 2022 class of the 25 Most Remarkable Teens in St. Kitts and Nevis are Ms. Dominique Williams, Sienna Henville and Maija Lake for Youth Activism; Maleek Queeley and Quinyka Bradshaw for a Personal Decision to Change; Daron Thomas for Scholar-Athlete and Leadership, and Dennidra Evelyn and Tei-Naaki Davis for Courage to Overcome. Awards in the category of Sports went to Jahzara Claxton and Shamarie Roberts, while the awards for Scholar Athlete were presented to Kahly-el Ward, Jermahd Huggins, and Niran Warde. The award in Academics was presented to Brianna Browne, while Academics and Spiritual Commitment was presented to Malika Benjamin.

Additional awards went to Devonte Browne and Brianna Paul for Leadership and Volunteerism; Tatiana Leader for Entrepreneurship; Zahra Browne for Entrepreneurship and Music; Laquandre Lowrie for Leadership and Sports; Shakim Forbes for Volunteerism; Omarion Bartlette for Most Promising; and Donell Francis for Spirit of Hope; while Sidondre Flemming and Malachi Tucker-Gumbs were recognized for excellence in Performing Arts.

The importance of St. Kitts and Nevis having a seat at the table at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) to voice its concerns in relation to the effects of climate change was highlighted by Minister of Public Infrastructure, the Honourable Konris Maynard, at a press conference on Wednesday, November 30, 2022.

COP27 was held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 06 to 18. It was attended by more than 50,000 delegates from around the world. St. Kitts and Nevis was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas, Minister of Environment and Climate Action, the Honourable Dr. Joyelle Clarke, and Minister Maynard along with support staff from the Ministry of Environment.

“COP27 offered a seat at the table,” Honourable Maynard stated on Wednesday. “The three of us [ministers] witnessed the signing for the release of funds to the Barbados Water Authority, which had accessed $40 million in GCF funding to aid in the transformation of their Water Authority. That process took over two years to come to fruition and only resulted because Barbados found a seat at the table.”

St. Kitts and Nevis is also experiencing challenges with its water supply that authorities attribute to global warming leading to drought conditions.

“Over the last ten years or thereabout, there has been almost a 20 percent decrease in rainfall in St. Kitts,” Honourable Maynard stated. “We depend on rainfall for our water. Seventy percent of our water comes from underground or what we call groundwater. That comes from the rain which permeates the soil and goes into our aquifers. With a 20 percent decrease in rainfall, but a continued increase in access to those aquifers you can see the challenge of why it is not possible to maintain 24/7 water. And so we are directly affected and that is why it was important for us to be present at the table to express the challenges that we are having to be able to access the necessary resources and funding to help alleviate this problem.”

The Minister of Public Infrastructure thanked the Republic of China (Taiwan) “for sponsoring this particular delegation to COP27, allowing us to be present and to have a seat at the table.”

He noted that an expected local outcome from the meeting is the establishment of an Interministerial Council that will mount an all of government response to transitioning from energy powered by fossil fuel to 100 percent of renewable energy.

Senator the Honourable Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister responsible for Environment & Climate Action, said her Ministry is pleased that the international community, particularly richer nations, is now taking greater responsibility for climate change and its impact on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like St. Kitts and Nevis.

At the recently concluded 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), the decision was taken to establish and operationalize a Loss and Damage Fund, which aims to provide financial assistance to nations most vulnerable and impacted by the effects of climate change.

Minister Dr. Clarke, who was part of the delegation that represented St. Kitts and Nevis at the conference in Egypt earlier this month, described the establishment of the fund as a historic moment as larger nations are now taking responsibility for their contributing roles in deepening the effects of climate change.

“Simply put, richer countries have accepted, have acknowledged and have committed to supporting SIDS [Small Island Developing States] and island nations or poorer countries in addressing developmental issues as a result of climate change,” said Dr. Clarke while addressing the media at a Post-COP27 Press Conference today, Wednesday, November 30 at the Solid Waste Management Conference Room.

The Honourable Minister said the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund is a significant win for SIDS, which has for decades lobbied for this type of acknowledgment and intervention.

Minister Dr. Clarke added, “The acknowledgment of loss and damage, it was a 30-year process and so that was the first win. Win number two, the formal negotiations at COP—as Minister Maynard mentioned they could have just acknowledged it and done nothing [but] we had formal negotiations. Win number three, the acknowledgment that there was a need for the fund and that we would move forward with the setting up of the framework and the modalities for the fund. Win number four—very recently there has been a call for two nominations from SIDS for the transitional committee. This is the work that has to be done for the next year leading up to COP28, and win number five, for years we have complained as small island states that the Green Climate Fund, which St. Kitts has been in the process of accessing funds through readiness programming, and the Adaptation Fund do not address the colonial and historical antecedence and all those problems related to loss and damage and climate change, so that’s the biggest win. There is now a streamlined fund dedicated to responding to all the problems we have faced in St. Kitts and Nevis for years because as smaller islands we do not contribute to climate change as significantly as richer larger countries.”

While the commitment from the international community was welcomed, Minister Clarke said the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will continue to do its part in responding to climate change.

“We have committed as ministers to working together … through the ministry that has been recently established by the Labour Government to ensure that there is an inter-ministerial agency which can champion loss and damage, which can champion access to the adaptation fund for the ministry of water and also which can champion energy as an economic sector, as well as investments and economic development and private sector partnerships so that we could de-risk investments in climate responsiveness for St. Kitts and Nevis,” Dr. Clarke explained.

Joining Dr. Clarke at the Post-COP27 Press Conference today were Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs et al., the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas; Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities et al., the Honourable Konris Maynard, and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment & Climate Action, Ms. Sharon Rattan.

The Right Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Economic Development, International Trade, Investment, Industry and Commerce, said that persistent diplomacy stemming from a series of high-level regional and international meetings paved the way for greater inclusion at the Conference of Parties (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18, 2022.

At a Post-COP27 Press Conference with the Honourable Dr. Joyelle Clarke and the Honourable Konris Maynard on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at the Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC) Conference Room, Dr. Douglas highlighted that a number of the high-level discussions held with the United Nations, Organization of American States and the European Union “framed what would be  St. Kitts and Nevis’ developmental agenda” as the Federation’s representatives interacted with fellow states from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific region.

“We were saying for example that we wanted to impress on the rest of the world that the concept of multi-dimensional vulnerability index was going to be critical for us to get acceptance at the COP27 Conference,” said Minister Dr. Douglas. “We were also making the point in framing the agenda that there has to be a coming together of minds with regards to the loss and damage concept or idea that we wanted the rest of the world to accept in order to give us, from Small Island Developing States (SIDS) a chance to survive in the future.”

Dr. Douglas said that the concepts of the multi-dimensional vulnerability index and loss and damage were two important outcomes at COP27, adding that there was an acceptance of the concept of the multi-dimensional vulnerability index.

“In other words, even though countries like St. Kitts and Nevis were considered to be a relatively high per capita income country, even though we have graduated in the past out of concessionary support from those in the national financial organizations which were assisting us, even though we were considered to be high or middle-income countries we nevertheless suffered tremendous loss and damage from the climatic conditions which were being paused as a result of the environmental disruption caused by those large industrialized countries that were emitting large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere disturbing the entire environment and thus contributing to horrific hurricanes that destroyed us down here, our infrastructure and our people’s livelihoods on several occasions,” said Dr. Douglas.

Minister Douglas said that COP27 proved fruitful in many ways.

“So it was really an amazing experience to see the rest of the world converging… to debate these very issues that we have been saying for years needed to be brought to the attention of the world so that countries like St. Kitts and Nevis and other Small Island Developing States could really survive and have better livelihoods,” he said. “The argument, therefore, was that we are people too, we may be small but we are a people. We have a right to exist, we have a right to develop our agriculture so that we can feed ourselves properly…”

Dr. Douglas added that the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was the place to bring arguments on behalf of Small Island Developing States and to see the “industrialized world react under pressure to the demands of the people from SIDS.”

Officials within the St. Kitts National Youth Parliament Association (SKNYPA) has described the recent working visit of the National Youth Parliament Association of Antigua and Barbuda (NYPAAB) as a success and said that the public can look forward to more collaboration in the future.

This is due to the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two youth associations. SKNYPA’s President Mauriel Knight and NYPAAB President Kamalie Mannix signed the MOU for their respective organizations after a joint mock parliament on Friday (November 25, 2022).

“It basically establishes and details the relation that SKNYPA and the NYPAAB will have,” Mr. Knight said, noting that a virtual version of the joint agreement was signed in February this year.

President Mannix noted that several joint initiatives are spelled out in the memorandum. The most significant of which is an annual exchange. As such, SKNYPA will visit Antigua in 2023. However, plans for this event are shaping up to exceed original plans following a recent engagement with the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Governor, Timothy Antoine and other senior bank officials.

“They would have given the indication of support to the organization that they would want to finance and back a regional youth parliament sitting next year which will happen in Antigua and so looking at that then gives us the opportunity to extend the joint agreement not only to Antigua and Barbuda but then to the other islands in the OECS,” President Mannix stated.

He expressed his belief that the organizations are on the verge of creating something that will have a far-reaching positive impact on the future of young people and the development of democracy in the sub-region.

The New Road Family Park is set to reopen its doors in late January 2023, catering to families and children across St. Kitts to play and unwind in a safe and fun-filled environment.

The family park was closed in 2020 as a precautionary measure to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus. While it was closed, the Ministry of Social Development, with financial support from the Republic of China (Taiwan) undertook a renovation project that included replacing all the play equipment, correcting slippage on the eastern side of the park, and upgrading the bathrooms, plumbing, and facility lighting.

On Thursday (December 29, 2022), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Development, the Honourable Geoffrey Hanley, as well as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social Development, Azilla Clarke, did a walk-through of the facility ahead of the reopening.

“The New Road Family Park is a model for the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis as it provides a family-friendly, safe space for family cohesion, parties, celebrations, and just an opportunity for overall wellness as a family unit,” Ms. Clarke stated.

Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Hanley said that the reopening of the family park is highly anticipated by residents within Central Basseterre and surrounding communities. He noted that the fun-filled environment will help to relieve some of the post-COVID anxiety that some persons are still struggling with. Depression and increased anger are some of the notable mental side effects of the extended lockdown periods.

“Having this park and similar parks would give that opportunity for persons to be more relaxed and feel a little bit freer rather than being locked in,” Dr. Hanley indicated. “I believe this in itself would become a form of therapy for families in terms of expression … and even people just having to sit, like I am right now under the gazebo, and I am enjoying the breeze, looking at the colours of the [play] equipment that is here, that in itself is a form of therapy.”

The Deputy Prime Minister thanked the Republic of China (Taiwan) for its continued support of this project. He added that similar parks will be established in communities across St. Kitts as part of the government’s wellness policy.

Residents of the New Horizons Rehabilitation Centre will benefit from a donation of five laptops and two tablets, that were donated by the St. Kitts and Nevis Bar Association on November 25, 2022.

The donation was made as part of the body’s celebration of Law Week, which ran from November 21 to 26, 2022. Violet Williams, a member of the Bar Association, made the presentation to Adele Williams, Director of New Horizons, during a brief ceremony at the Ministry of Social Development.

“The Bar Association is quite happy to support the New Horizons Rehabilitation Centre in assisting to improve the quality of life for its residents,” Ms. Williams stated. “We hope that the partnership that we have established with the New Horizons Rehabilitation Centre will continue to grow in the years to come.”

Director Williams thanked the Bar for the donation and its fruitful partnership in the past. The support includes providing pro bono services to the residents and their families, mentorship services for female residents, internship opportunities, and donations of books and electronic devices.

Ms. Williams said that the relationship has inspired residents to be better.

“There is this theory in person’s minds that children that get in trouble with the law are delinquents but we have very bright, very astute young people coming through our doors and once they get into the educational system here it becomes a thriving thing that they realize ‘Oh I’m quite good at English .. and Math,” Director Williams said adding that the residents often get competitive to see who can gain the best results.

In fact, one former resident of New Horizons is now pursuing legal studies after participating in the internship programme.

Director Williams wished the members of the Bar well and expressed that the relationship between the New Horizons Rehabilitation Centre and the St. Kitts and Nevis Bar Association will continue to flourish.

Following a walkthrough of the Basseterre Health Center earlier today, Monday, November 28, Prime Minister and Minister of Health, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew pledged the Government’s commitment to improving the physical and digital infrastructure of the health institution.

Prime Minister Dr. Drew said, “This is really the flagship health centre for community health in St. Kitts and therefore it is important that we make sure that this health centre gets the necessary attention that it needs.”

Monday’s walkthrough afforded the Prime Minister the opportunity to meet with and hear the concerns and views of the management and staff concerning the day-to-day operations at the health centre.

Chief among the concerns raised was the need for the digitization of records—an issue Prime Minister Dr. Drew said his administration intends to address with urgency.

“As we plan out our ICT system, we want to make sure that digitization at this institution, whether it is the records or whether it is patient care or any other way, that those are addressed. We need new systems to be put in place to make this place much more efficient and that is from all levels I would say,” the Health Minister said.

He added, “I think that the Basseterre Health Center needs some work and we will commit to making sure that that work is done as well to serve the people in the environs but not only them [because] this health centre serves all the other health centres in St. Kitts and so we will make sure that we work towards that.”

Director of Community Health Services, Dr. Sheneil Isles thanked the Honourable Prime Minister for taking the time to personally visit and to see firsthand and hear about the different challenges being faced at the institution.

“It was really a pleasure to have the Minister of Health and Prime Minister, Dr. Drew, being here with us at the Basseterre Health Center to get an idea of what we do on a regular basis at community health services. Hearing the concerns of the management team as well as the staff on the ground, I think that is certainly something that is appreciated, so we look forward to some of the outcomes as it relates to the digitization of the healthcare system, also staffing and some of our needs that we would have expressed to him,” Dr. Isles said. 

Following his walkthrough at the Basseterre Health Center, the Honourable Prime Minister also visited the Cardin Home where he interacted with the residents and staff.

After seeing the physical state of much of the facility, Prime Minister Dr. Drew gave the Government’s commitment to improving the infrastructure there as well.