Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 30, 2018 (SKNIS): With the first ever Diaspora Conference fast approaching, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Planning Committee for the Diaspora Conference, Kaye Bass, made an appearance on Wednesday’s May 30th edition of “Working for You”, where she said that it is important that governments stay connected to their Diasporas.
Ms. Bass highlighted this importance by saying that there should be effective communication between both parties. Communication is key and dialogue must be had, she said.
“A lot of the times when we see our leaders go overseas they tend to have town hall meetings. During these town hall meetings we see an engagement and the governments begin to understand what are the needs of the Diaspora and the Diaspora will begin to understand what can the government give or how can we partner with our government in order to be a mutually beneficial relationship so that we benefit and our governments and countries benefit,” said the permanent secretary.
The permanent secretary noted that communication will in turn build trust. She added that there might be a negative view of the Diaspora as some persons may not view them as being able to contribute to national development.
“So, I think dialogue is important,” she said. “We have to build trust, the Diaspora has to come to realize that the government might be able to do so much, but what it commits to it is determined to deliver on, and when you build that trust I think the negative perception on both sides, national as well as the Diaspora overseas, will begin to change.”
The Diaspora Conference will be held from June 26 to 28 at the St. Kitts Marriot Resort under the theme, “Building Partnership Towards Sustainable Development.” Registration for the conference is currently open at www.diaspora.gov.kn and ends at midnight on June 3, 2018.
The conference will feature speakers from the Diaspora as well as representatives from key ministries of government. Additionally, there will be a special session for economic citizens, a cocktail reception, a youth forum, a Cabinet Panel Interactive Session and a cultural extravaganza.
The Diaspora Conference will zero in on areas such as agriculture, the development of small and medium enterprises, energy, engineering, information and communication technologies (ICTs) and tourism.
