The actions in this area also caught the attention of His Royal Highness (HRH) The Prince of Wales, who highlighted that St. Kitts and Nevis has “had such remarkable influence in this region and beyond.” The comments were made during a reception at Government House to mark the March 21, 2019, Royal Visit by The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.
“The voice of St. Kitts and Nevis has been heard and listened to on so many of the most pressing issues of our time, not least, on the immense and alarming challenge of climate change, which poses nothing short of an existential threat to island-nations like yours, or indeed so many other questions of sustainability,” he said.
His Royal Highness added that the country has demonstrated a “clear commitment to the environmentally sensitive development of its tourism industry and St. Kitts has also taken a lead on the protection of the precious marine environment that surrounds your islands, and against the scourge of ocean plastics, which are causing such devastating harm in the Caribbean as indeed elsewhere.”
Noting that he considers small island states in reality to be large ocean states, The Prince of Wales praised the local government for its work to positively impact the environment.
“It seems to me that the continued leadership of countries such as St. Kitts and Nevis is absolutely essential in terms of protecting the health of our oceans, something which is absolutely critical to our shared survival. I therefore applaud the government of St. Kitts and Nevis for having declared all your coastal waters as a marine management area and for being committed to protecting the marine environment to the benefit of both current and future generations of Kittitians and Nevisians,” The Prince of Wales stated.
While reflecting on the remarks, Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris said “our standing in the international community has been reaffirmed by the high representative of the Royal family” and added that “that should make us proud … and encourage us to continue to strive for excellence.”
