Continued UN support pledged for St. Kitts and Nevis

Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 06, 2022 (SKNIS/UNRCO): Didier Trebucq, UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, said that there is “great potential in St. Kitts and Nevis” adding that the “future is looking very bright” given the expected economic rebound from the global health emergency.

Mr. Trebucq visited the twin-island Federation from October 03-05, 2022, and assured that various United Nations (UN) agencies will continue working closely with government and civil society in St. Kitts and Nevis on a number of issues, including post-pandemic recovery, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, strengthening data storage, digital transformation, enhancing the blue economy and much more.

The programme of support for these projects is covered in the Country Implementation Plan (CIP) for St. Kitts and Nevis. Mr. Trebucq shared aspects of the plan during a meeting with Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew at his office in Government Headquarters. 

“It was a great opportunity to discuss … how the UN can meet the expectations to trigger Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and this vision of achieving a sustainable island state in St. Kitts,” he stated. 

The Resident Coordinator also held meetings with Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas, Minister of Sustainable Development, the Honourable Dr. Joyelle Clarke, and Junior Minister of Youth Empowerment and Social Development, the Honourable Isalean Phillip, for a similar review. 

“We want also to enhance this plan to the current priorities of this government, and this was basically an outcome of these discussions,” said Mr. Trebucq. “Another outcome from the discussion was to see how we can further build resilience in the country, support the efforts to develop renewable energy, working for youth, support the government in expanding access to healthcare and especially access to universal healthcare in St. Kitts and Nevis.” 

While in St. Kitts, the UN Resident Coordinator participated in the launch of the “Resilient Caribbean: Engaging and Training Youth, Strengthening Integrated Social Protection Sector Delivery Joint Programme on Tuesday, October 04, 2022. The pilot project aims to reduce poverty and inequalities, increase youth employment, and enhance social protection systems for households. The programme is implemented by the United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF), the United Nations Educational Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the World Food Programme (WFP).

Mr. Trebucq visited Nevis on October 05, met with the Cabinet of the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) and visited various sites where various UN projects are ongoing.