Published 21 June 2017
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis.
The summer solstice is upon us: June 20th and the 21st will be the longest days of 2017 for anyone living north of the equator. If pagan rituals are your thing, this is probably a big moment for you. If not, the solstice is still pretty neat.
Published 8 May 2017
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, MAY 8TH, 2017 (PRESS SEC) – During the recent Article Four (IV) Consultation in St. Kitts and Nevis, International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials affirmed the progress that is continuously being achieved by the Government in strengthening the country’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regime.
The IMF team, which visited St. Kitts and Nevis between April 18thand May 3rd, 2017, commended the Government of National Unity, saying: “The authorities have further improved compliance with international AML/CFT [anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism] standards and exchange of information…”
The Federation’s demonstrable commitment to implementing international standards on financial transparency was a focus of the Government’s statement issued today, Monday, May 8th, 2017. It was issued in response to erroneous statements about St. Kitts and Nevis contained in the U.S. Department of State’s 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, Volume II: Money Laundering and Financial Crimes.
Published 25 April 2017
Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 25, 2017 (SKNIS): The Department of Labour in St. Kitts has taken steps to improve its data collection and analysis in keeping with efforts to advance the decent work agenda, which calls for opportunities for work that are productive with a fair income in a safe environment while fulfilling its regional and international obligations.
This was emphasized on Tuesday, April 25, by the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour, Ron Dublin-Collins, while giving an address to recognize the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, which is celebrated internationally on April 28 each year. The theme for 2017 is “Optimize the Collection and Use of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Data.”
“The time has come for us to begin to focus on the critical need to improve our capacity to collect and utilize reliable occupational safety and health data,” Acting Permanent Secretary Dublin-Collins stated, noting that such data are considered “indispensable” in detecting new hazards and risks, developing preventative measures, and implementing new policies, systems and programmes to address such.
To streamline the process, government has employed a statistical officer for the Department of Labour in March this year, who is responsible for collecting and analyzing data. Additionally, in February 2017, labour staff members and other stakeholders in St. Kitts and Nevis were briefed about, and trained to use software for the Caribbean Community’s Labour Market Information System (CLMIS) expected to be implemented in June 2017. It will serve as a database that informs CARICOM member countries of the availability of labour and employment. Mr. Dublin-Collins said “this is another step in the right direction for enhancing the collection and optimization of OSH data.”
The acting permanent secretary also explained that plans are in place to increase the number of labour inspectors, who carry out regular visits to places of employment in order to assess the working environment, and have friendly engagements with employers and employees.
All of the local plans are contained in nine priority areas designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the department. These are Institutional Strengthening of the Department and the Building of the Capacity of Staff; Updating the Labour Legislation; Enhancing the Labour Inspectorate; Educating the Public, Enhancing the Employment Mechanism and the Statistics Unit in the Ministry and Department of Labour; Enhancing the Social Protection System; Industrial Relations; International Relations; and Making Tripartism and Social Dialogue Central Themes for the Creation of Public Policies in Labour.
Several activities will be held this week to mark the observance of World Day for Safety and Health at Work. On Wednesday, April 26, (tomorrow) the Department of Labour will host a Safety and Health Symposium highlighting the importance of having a safe and secure work environment. Forty representatives from the manufacturing, hospitality and construction sectors will participate at the event slated for the Conference Room of Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise Department at Bird Rock. On Friday, April 28, a T-shirt Awareness Day will help to remind/educate the public on the matter and an awareness display will also be mounted at the Labour Department on Church Street. Also on that day, the Department of Labour in Nevis in conjunction with the Nevis Disaster Office will host an awareness rally. A church service on Sunday, April 30, wraps up the activities.
Published 19 April 2017
Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 19, 2017 (SKNIS): The Department of Environment recognizes climate variability and climate change to be two of the most significant threats to sustainable development in St. Kitts and Nevis. Against this backdrop, a number of persons from various fields throughout the federation are currently attending an eight day National Training Workshop in the Use of Climate Models for Decision Making.
The workshop, which runs from April 19-28, is held under the auspices of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (CCCCC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
June Hughes, Senior Environment Officer at the Department of Environment, said that the training is timely, as climate change continues to be a clear and present danger. She noted that the department is working closely with regional and international partners to ensure that persons are aware of the dangers that exist.
“We in the Department of Environment have been working to raise awareness on the impacts of climate change, while taking advantage of every capacity building opportunity to improve our adaptive response have strengthened our mitigation measures,” she said. “Each training, workshop and meeting strengthens our country to address and reduce the impacts of climate change.”
Dr. Ulric Trotz, Deputy Executive Director at CCCCC, explained that the workshop would first be rolled out nationally in all 10 countries under the USAID banner, after which regional workshops will be held. He made mention of specific training tools that were developed with the aim of assisting in the generation of scientific information and analysis to help in making informed decisions. These include the Weather Generator (WG), the Tropical Storm Model/ Simple Model for the Advection of Storms and Hurricanes (SMASH), and the Caribbean Drought Assessment Tool (CARiDRO).
“The CARIWIG [Caribbean Weather Impacts Group] tool is a critical tool in that it more or less localizes the projection so that for instance, you can actually look at climate projections for the future in a watershed in St. Kitts and Nevis. It localizes that information and it makes it much more relevant to the local circumstance,” said Dr. Trotz.
The deputy executive director encouraged participants to acquire all the knowledge necessary, as it is the presenters hope that at the end of the training “a cadre of technical skills” would be developed in St. Kitts and Nevis and the region on whole that would help to deal successfully with the challenges faced from climate change.
Training and application of the tools will allow decision-makers to better understand the potential impacts of drought, tropical storms, and rainfall and temperature changes. When combined with other data and information, they can help to build a picture of potential impacts to key economic sectors in the country. The training will target key personnel whose focus are in areas of agriculture, water resources, coastal zone management, health, physical planning or disaster risk reduction.
Published 19 April 2017
Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 19, 2017 (SKNIS): The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has positioned itself to address some environmental challenges, in particular, global warming, in an effort to improve informed decisions on issues like climate change, said Alistair Edwards, Permanent Secretary in the Department of Environment.
Speaking at the opening ceremony for the National Training Workshop in the Use of Climate Models for Decision Making on Wednesday, April 19, the permanent secretary said that climate change affects everyone, therefore, the Department of Environment “will continue to undertake various adaptation and mitigation actions to ensure that St. Kitts and Nevis builds its resilience to reduce the impacts on climate change.”
Mr. Edwards said that St. Kitts and Nevis is very vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change, as it can be seen in a number of sectors across the federation.
“Sectors such as tourism, agriculture, water, and health and by extension the entire nation, have already been impacted in one way or another by these adverse factors. In response to the current projects it impacts, it is important that St. Kitts and Nevis undertake various initiatives that will reduce risk and the risk of our natural assets from climate change,” said the permanent secretary, while adding that St. Kitts and Nevis recognizes that climate change impacts the sustainability of not only the federation, but also the region.
“For a country like St. Kitts and Nevis, our critical infrastructure lies on coastal zones. Therefore, it is immensely important that measures and actions are put in place to protect our beaches and coastlines. We must implement measures that ensure food security, public health, the availability of fresh and potable water are not impacted,” he said.
PS Edwards made specific mention of the national training workshop, noting that the Department of Environment sees it as an ideal opportunity to build work that has already started. He explained that adaptation is critically important to St. Kitts and Nevis, and as such, it should be made a priority.
“We need to identify and implement adaptation measures in a collaborative manner. We need to ensure that the decision makers have access to the most effective tools and methods that can help them integrate climate change into planning and investment processes,” said Mr. Edwards. “The approach of tackling adverse impacts of climate change requires the support of all us. Our planet is dependent on it and our very existence is depending on it.”
