Basseterre,St Kitts and Nevis: Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew addressed the diplomats at the opening ceremony of the ‘Diplomatic Week’ on April 25, 2023. The opening ceremony revolved around the theme, “Driving Change- Advancing a Vision For a Sustainable Island State .”
PM Terrance Drew particularly mentioned Alexander Hamilton of St Kitts and Nevis, who went on to become one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. In addition to this, PM Drew highlighted the fact that over 90 per cent of the country’s population is literate, which is indicative of the level of education in the country.
At the same time, PM Terrance Drew emphasized the Government’s vision toward becoming theSustainable Island State and that Government has already laid the appropriate foundation for the same, with the inclusion of legislative and constitutional reforms that ensures transparency of actions.
PM Drew also thanked the Minister of Foreign Affairs of St Kitts and Nevis, Denzil Douglas, as he recognized his efforts in the successful execution of The Diplomatic Week in the country.
Additionally, he expressed his gratitude towards all attending diplomats and special representatives, which included Kevin M Isaac- St Kitts and Nevis High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Justin Hawley – SKN Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Gurdip Dev Bath – Special Representative of St Kitts and Nevis, Gabriele Meon – Ambassador of Austria, Rita Hammerli Weschke- Switzerland Ambassador, Abdelkader Hadjazi- Algerian Ambassador, Lilian Chatterjee- High Commission of Canada.
In his address, PM Terrance Drew expressed his pleasure to host these personalities and expressed the readiness of the country to collaborate with nations for collective efforts towards the achievement of sustainable development goals and strengthening the foundation of democracy and peace.
Notably, this is the third Diplomatic Week being hosted by St Kitts and Nevis, which coincided with the country’s 40Th anniversary of Nationhood.
Meanwhile, PM Terrance Drew expressed his pride in being able to lead the Government at this critical point in the country’s history and reiterated his vision to lead the country to be a resilient, self-reliant and sustainable island state.
As he stated, the theme of the event, “Driving Change- Advancing a Vision For a Sustainable Island State is symbolic of the Government’s aspirations of a sustainable future, with the support of all the partner nations, therefore setting an example for the global community.
At the same time, PM Drew highlighted the seven foundational pillars on which the plans of development have been laid; these include:
· Food Security
· Green Energy Transition
· Economic Diversification
· Sustainable Industries
· Creative Economy
· COVID-19 recovery
· Social Protection
As per PM Drew, St Kitts and Nevis is also focusing on enhancing the production of agricultural goods to ensure a sufficient and consistent supply of food for every citizen of the country. For this reason, the latest technology and techniques will be infused into the sector so that production can be increased by multiple times and the country being self-reliant in terms of food.
“We also share the vision to transition St Kitts and Nevis to a position where water and energy are sustainable,” added PM Drew.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Denzil Douglas, also highlighted the country’s commitment towards the achievement of sustainability goals and the development of green technology on the path to these goals.
