Author: SKNISEditor

San Jose, 21 January 2020 (IICA) – In a congratulatory letter to the President of the United States, Joseph Biden, on his inauguration, the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, highlighted the historic ties between the United States and the specialized agency for rural and agricultural development of the Inter-American System. In the letter, Otero underscored IICA’s firm commitment to “continuing to increase technical cooperation efforts” aimed at strengthening food security as well as mitigating and combating the sources of problems that affect countries in the Americas, such as climate change and mass…

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 21, 2021) – Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis, says his government intends to agitate for hotels, restaurants and supermarkets on the island to purchase food from local farmers and producers. During his address at the Nevis Ministry of Agriculture’s annual planning symposium, Agenda 2021, Mr. Brantley recognized Hotelier Mr. Richard Lupinacci, proprietor of The Hermitage Inn in Nevis as a friend of local agriculture, commending his business for utilizing local products on their menu, and calling on other businesses to emulate this practice. “We need really a renaissance in terms of our thinking, in terms of our approach…

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (JANURY 21, 2020) — Mr. Deora Pemberton, Director of the Department of Physical Planning and Environment in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) says for 2021 the department will continue to engage in a programme of efficiency, as it seeks to ensure timeliness in its assessment approval process. Mr. Pemberton who was appointed to head the department in September 2020, made the comment while speaking with the Department of Information on January 19, 2021, about his department’s plans for the year. “The Department of Physical Planning and Environment plays a critical role in our national development and as such,…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 21, 2021 (SKNIS): St. Kitts and Nevis’ Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hazel Laws has called on residents to be vigilant in eliminating any possible sources of water that can facilitate mosquito breeding.The call is made even more urgent at this time given that several neighbouring islands have reported rising cases of dengue fever among the population. Some have recorded multiple fatalities from the tropical disease.“We have a very robust [vector control] programme and we have done well in terms of staving off a dengue outbreak last year,” Dr. Laws stated at the National Emergency Operations Centre…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 21, 2021 (SKNIS): Health authorities in St. Kitts and Nevis are noting a gradual increase in the number of persons exhibiting flu-like symptoms. However, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Hazel Laws said that this is common as the country is in the midst of the influenza season that typically runs from October to April.“We want to reassure the public there is no need to get fearful or be alarmed that they have COVID. Remember that we are in the middle of the influenza season and so my recommendation to you is if you are experiencing the symptoms…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 21, 2021 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs): On Tuesday, 19 January 2021, St. Kitts and Nevis participated virtually in its 3rd Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the 37th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), based in Geneva. Ms. Kaye Bass, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, head of the delegation, introduced St. Kitts and Nevis’ National Report and highlighted, inter alia, St Kitts and Nevis’ response to Covid19. In her intervention during the interactive dialogue, Ms. Bass highlighted human rights-related initiatives the government has undertaken within the last four and a half years on areas…

Laying the Foundation for Better Results Through Monitoring and Evaluation: The Caribbean Community Secretariat and the Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank Announce Partnership to Collaborate Around Better Policy Results January 21, 2020 – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat and the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank Group have agreed to work together towards advancing the Caribbean Community’s Results-based Management (RBM) System. The new partnership aims to contribute to the promotion of a results-oriented culture in the region by supporting the establishment and institutionalization of RBM policies and practices – initially in three pilot Member States and a regional institution, and eventually, scaling…

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 20, 2021) — Mr. Mc Levon “Mackie” Tross, one of the island’s leading farmers in the use of greenhouse technology on Nevis, has underscored the need for farmers on the island to be treated with greater respect. Mr. Tross, who was the featured speaker at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agenda 2021 forum at the St. Paul’s Anglican Church Hall on January 19, 2021, spoke on the issue while delivering the featureaddress before stakeholders in the agriculture sector on Nevis. “The landscape of our farmers is changing. Farmers are entrepreneurs, yes, business people who are responsible for feeding our…

NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 20, 2021) — Hon. Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister of Health in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), says while the surgical team at the Alexandra Hospital is being celebrated for life-saving surgery on a shark attack victim by doctors in the United States of America and the management of the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM), the health facility will continue to deliver top notch service to locals as well. Mrs. Brandy-Williams made the comment when she spoke to the Department of Information on January 20, 2021, on the heels of the expressions of gratitude and commendation disclosed…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 20, 2021 (SKNIS): The Team Unity Government of St. Kitts and Nevis in its efforts to further enhance the beauty of ‘de strip’ located in the Frigate Bay area has embarked upon a beach nourishment project. Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Lindsay Grant, said during the Prime Minister’s Monthly Press Conference on January 14, 2021, that “The beach nourishment project is a project conducted by two local contractors, Rock and Dirt who is doing the land side of the project, and St. Kitts Marine Works who is doing the seaside of the project.” He said, “We have…