Author: SKNISEditor

Wednesday, April 19, 2023 — The OECS Business Council (OBC) and the Caricom Private Sector Organization (CPSO) have entered into a new cooperation agreement in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The MOU signing formalizes the mutual interaction and strengthens the existing relationship between the OBC and the CPSO at the strategic and working level to foster trade, business growth, job creation, and economic and social empowerment of the people of the OECS and CARICOM. OBC was established in 2016 and is currently undergoing revitalization to strengthen the sub-regional private sector’s voice and effectively address the developmental issues specific to the…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 18, 2023 (SKNIS): Over 100 staff members from all seven (7) Departments within the Ministry of Sustainable Development, as well as other volunteers, took to the Independence Square on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, to initiate a phased beautification project as part of Good Deeds Day observed on April 16. Good Deeds Day was initiated in 2007 and is celebrated in April. It is a global movement of people who are dedicated to doing good deeds. According to www.pointsoflight.org, each year, hundreds of thousands of people put into practice the simple idea that every single person can…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 18, 2023 (SKNIS): The 2023 edition of St. Kitts and Nevis’ Diplomatic Week will showcase for the first time a Diplomatic Boulevard slated for Thursday, April 27. The aim of this special feature is to afford the general public an opportunity to meet and interact with the diplomats. While appearing on the Government’s weekly radio and television programme “Infocus” on Wednesday, April 12, Kaye Bass, Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shed some light on what to expect at the Diplomatic Boulevard. “In the past when ambassadors came to St. Kitts and Nevis…

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO18 APRIL 2023 We the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on April 17-18, 2023, on the occasion of the Regional Symposium to address Crime and Violence as a public health issue, register our grave concern at the increase in the illegal exportation of guns from the United States of America which is a direct threat to our democracy.We declare a War on Guns to combat the illegal trade which provides the weapons that contribute significantly to crime and violence in our Region causing death, disabilities and compromising…

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO18 APRIL 2023 We the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on April 17-18, 2023, on the occasion of the Regional Symposium to address Crime and Violence as a public health issue: Alarmed by the epidemic of crime and violence in the Caribbean, fueled by illegal guns and organized criminal gangs, as a threat to our democracy and the stability of our societies;Cognizant of its cost to our social, economic and health systems;Determined to ensure that our people of the Caribbean can exist in an environment of peace…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 18, 2023 (St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO): Upon the receipt by Hon. Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, Minister of Education with responsibility for UNESCO matters, of a summary report of UNESCO activities implemented in the Federation over 2022 by the St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission, he responded by stating, “These mid-term outcomes are ‘compelling’”.Each National Commission of the 192 UNESCO Member States is responsible for overseeing the UNESCO-led financial and technical assistance in the areas of its mandate of education, science and cultural and included in UNESCO’s 2022 Annual Report of national commission activities.Secretary-General of…

. Santiago, 18 April 2023 (IICA) – High-level officials and experts at a presentation in Chile of the study “Rural Connectivity in Latin America and the Caribbean: State of Play, Challenges and Actions for Digitalization and Sustainable Development” all agreed that farmers must be equipped with digital skills in order to better harness the potential of new technologies in food production. The study was conducted by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the World Bank, Bayer, CAF- Development Bank of Latin America, Microsoft and Syngenta. Esteban Valenzuela, Chile’s Minister of Agriculture, was present at the meeting, which took place at…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 18, 2023 (SKNIS): The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis and the United Kingdom’s Hydrographic Office signed a bilateral agreement on April 17, 2023, at the Tourism Conference Room to further enhance sea safety.Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Tivanna Wharton said “The intensity of maritime traffic in the Caribbean Sea has certainly created the need for coastal states in the Caribbean including St. Kitts and Nevis to promote safety at sea.”“In St. Kitts and Nevis, our economies are heavily reliant on the shipping sector, in particular in tourism and trade, but overall of which…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, APRIL 18th, 2023 – The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) is pleased to announce that April 28th, 2023 has been prescribed as Discounted VAT Rate Day. This will allow all approved VAT-registered businesses to charge VAT at the rate of 5% on the sale of goods only. All tangible items subject to 17% VAT will qualify for the special rate on Discounted VAT Rate Day. Items eligible must also be available for sale and immediate issuance or delivery to the customer on the Discounted VAT Rate Day. Orders for items not in stock do not…

$5 million from FAO-China South-South Cooperation Programme will assist in building more resilient agrifood systems 18/04/2023 Geneva/Rome – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today announced the launch of a new $5 million project supported by the FAO-China South-South Cooperation (SSC) Programme to assist Small Island Developing States (SIDS) strengthen their capacities and tackle common development challenges. The project, announced at the Fourth SIDS Solutions Dialogue held in Geneva today, covers an initial period of three years, from 2022 to 2025 and will focus on areas such as increased innovation, digitalization and knowledge exchange to assist…