- Her Excellency Dame Marcella A. Liburd, Governor-General of St. Kitts and Nevis;
- Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Mrs. Drew;
- Honourable Ministers;
- Dr. Shawn K. Richards, Member of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis;
- His Excellency Larry Vaughn, Plenipotentiary Representative of St. Kitts and Nevis to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM);
- Her Excellency M. Astona Browne, Former Plenipotentiary Representative of St. Kitts and Nevis to CARICOM;
- Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
- Distinguished Faith Leaders;
- Other Special Invited Guests;
- Distinguished Delegates;
- Ms. Iana Franks and Mr. Jalen Manzac, St. Kitts and Nevis’ CARICOM Youth Ambassadors;
- Citizens of the Caribbean Community;
- Representatives of the Media;
- Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am pleased to join you as you mark this Golden Jubilee of Membership of St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). I offer heartfelt congratulations to the Prime Minister, Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, and to the People of this beautiful twin island federation, as you celebrate this landmark 50th Anniversary.
Your focus on cooperation, integration and development goes to the heart of the purpose of CARICOM, which is to promote economic integration and cooperation among Member States, and to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared. This Thanksgiving Service is a superb symbol of that cooperation and unity in play at the national level.
St. Kitts and Nevis was one of the eight Caribbean nations accepted into the Caribbean Community in May of 1974, less than a year after regional integration was consolidated under the 1973 Treaty of Chaguaramas. St. Kitts and Nevis has therefore been integral to the solid foundation and the wide-ranging achievements which we highlighted during the past year, as we celebrated CARICOM’s 50th Anniversary.
Some of these achievements are often overlooked or taken for granted, as they have become interwoven into the fabric of our Region. This includes the existence of high functioning, highly regarded regional bodies which manage our preparedness, responses and delivery in such areas as natural disasters, public health, education, renewable energy and jurisprudence.
This impressive list includes the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) which is playing a critical role in coordinating the Region’s response to Hurricane Beryl, the record-breaking, early-season hurricane that devastated several islands of our Region early in July. The solidarity and support from St. Kitts and Nevis during this tumultuous time has been appreciated by fellow CARICOM Member states.
The contribution of St. Kitts and Nevis within CARICOM is particularly important in the critical areas of Human Resource Development, Health and HIV/AIDS, for which Prime Minister Drew has lead responsibility in the CARICOM Quasi-Cabinet of Heads of Government. Significant achievements over time have been the strengthening of health and education systems for CARICOM Member States to respond, in particular, to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath; priority attention to the concerns of and care for persons with disabilities and with HIV; and the enactment of policies across the Region to manage non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which contribute to some 70 percent of all deaths in the Region.
Importantly, due to the significant work of the regional health sector, the Caribbean Community has been a global leader in immunisation, having successfully eradicated life-changing diseases such as polio, measles and rubella. We have significantly reduced childhood mortality and morbidity rates, and fewer children suffer from vaccine-preventable diseases. This has improved the health and well-being of our children in the Region, and contributed to economic development and improved quality of life for communities in CARICOM.
We are also reminded that climate change, for which our Region bears little responsibility but suffers high costs, is also affecting the health of our people due to higher temperatures and increases in vector borne diseases. As Prime Minister Drew has so eloquently reminded us, the international community must recognise and accept that there is a need for climate justice, as we in CARICOM and in other Small Island and Low-lying Coastal Developing States (SIDS) continue to experience the disproportionate effects of climate change.
On behalf of the Community, I express sincere gratitude to Prime Minister Drew for his attention to this portfolio. As the Region rebounds from Hurricane Beryl and prepares for the remainder of what is forecast to be a very active Atlantic Hurricane Season, we will continue to rely on his guidance on health-related matters, which are thrown into sharp focus during emergencies of any kind.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Beyond CARICOM, St. Kitts and Nevis has established beneficial economic partnerships with the Organization of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), which was born out of the Treaty of Basseterre signed here, on this soil, in 1981. These relationships promote cooperation and integration and allow St. Kitts and Nevis to have a voice in key regional and hemispheric dialogues which help to shape national socio-economic policies.
Although the smallest sovereign state in both area and population in the Western Hemisphere, St. Kitts and Nevis has punched above its weight in many regards. This is a politically stable society which has traditionally adhered to the rule of law and high standards of democratic governance. The country has responded remarkably to the dynamics of the global market and the Region, expanded diversified agricultural products to support the Region’s 25 by 2025 Initiative towards food and nutrition security; implemented initiatives to boost economic activity following the COVID-19 pandemic; and improved airlift to enhance intra-regional travel and connectivity.
National icons and trailblazers, among them your first Prime Minister and National Hero, and the Father of the Nation, Sir Kennedy Simmonds; sprinting sensation Kim Collins; former President of the Caribbean Court of Justice, Sir Dennis Byron; literary luminary Caryl Phillips, and first female Speaker of the National Assembly and current Governor-General, Her Excellency Dame Marcella Liburd, have all brought glory to your country and the Region, and provided models of fortitude and success for our young people.
I also note the active participation in the business of CARICOM by our Youth Ambassadors, Iana Franks and Jalen Monzac. I was very pleased to welcome them, and other CARICOM Youth Ambassadors, to the Secretariat earlier this month, where we had excellent discussions on the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, free movement of citizens of the Community, and the impact of climate change on our Region. CARICOM is intentionally including the perspectives of young people in consultations leading to decision-making, and we look forward to increased engagement with other groups in St. Kitts and Nevis, and the rest of the Region.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As you reflect on your 50-year membership of the Caribbean Community, you can be justifiably proud of your record of contributions and shared achievements. CARICOM’s fifteen Member States and five Associate Member States have shown the world that diverse ethnicities and ideologies can be successfully integrated, and can develop and thrive both individually and collectively. This is an achievement that we must steadfastly guard.
The Caribbean Community looks forward to St. Kitts and Nevis’ continued active participation as, together, we confidently face our common challenges, and secure the prosperity, safety and resilience of the children, women, and men of our Region.
I extend wishes for the success of all the activities planned as a part of this celebration.
Happy 50th CARICOM Anniversary, St Kitts and Nevis!
Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen.
