BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, February 17, 2022 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis became the latest country in the region to sign on to the United Nations (UN) Multi-country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF) for the Caribbean for the period 2022-2026.
This new cooperation framework, which was finalized in November 2021, sets out and will guide the UN’s support to the Caribbean countries over the next five years, focusing on four priority areas: economic resilience and shared prosperity; equality and well-being; resilience to climate change shocks and sustainable natural resource management; and peace, safety, justice, and the rule of law.
Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris signed the cooperation document on behalf of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis during a brief virtual ceremony held earlier today, (Thursday, February 17, 2022).
Prime Minister Harris said it is his fervent hope that this new cooperation framework will build on the best practices emanating from the previous cooperation arrangement with the United Nations.
“We welcome this new multi-country framework in which we are embarking and which we hope will bring not just structure in terms of deliverables but also provide an important framework for results to happen. For many really, the UN is an important institution that they hear about. We want our people to be able to appreciate the significant contribution to all areas of socio-economic life and political life by the results we are able to bring,” the prime minister said.
The St. Kitts and Nevis prime minister indicated that the economy of St. Kitts and Nevis, like all Caribbean states, was severely impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
In this regard, Prime Minister Harris said St. Kitts and Nevis shall continue to need the UN’s support and “for the UN to leverage all of its agencies and all of its capacity to help Small Island Developing States, such as St. Kitts and Nevis.”
Among those participating in today’s virtual ceremony were the UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Mr. Didier Trebucq; UN Country Coordination Officer for St. Kitts and Nevis in the person of Mr. Cosbert Woods; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Kaye Bass and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Mrs. Elreter Simpson-Browne.
