Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 01, 2020 (SKNIS): Nationals living abroad continue to be engaged in the national development policy of St. Kitts and Nevis. Against this backdrop, a Diaspora Policy was approved to guide government’s engagement with nationals.
“Only a month ago the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis through its Cabinet approved the Diaspora Policy. This policy, developed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will seek to guide our engagement as a country with our diaspora,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, the Honourable Mark Brantley.
Minister Brantley was at the time commending Her Excellency Ambassador Sherry Tross, St. Kitts and Nevis’ High Commissioner in Ottawa, Canada, and nationals in the diaspora for donating over 3000 kilograms of green-certified lotion, soaps, hand sanitizers and concentrated disinfectant for use in hospitals and nursing homes across the Federation.
He thanked the diaspora and noted that he looks forward to the “continued engagement” with nationals wherever they are.
The foreign minister reflected on a recent trip to Africa, indicating that the continent is divided into six regions, with the sixth region being categorized as the diaspora.
“They have recognized the importance of the African people wherever they happen to be and so it is important for us as Kittitians and Nevisians to recognize the critical relevance of our people who happened to live in other parts of the world,” said Minister Brantley. “They are a critical part of us, they are us and so, our Diaspora Policy will seek to guide our engagement with the diaspora so that they can continue to contribute to national development.
The inclusion of the diaspora has always been a key component of the government’s agenda. In 2018, the first-ever Diaspora Conference was held in St. Kitts and Nevis bringing together nationals from around the world.
The Diaspora Conference proved pivotal to the Federation and nationals in the Diaspora. It also served as a vehicle for mobilizing and sharing knowledge, expertise and financial resources in support of our country’s commitment to sustainable development. The broad reach of the conference also helped to facilitate greater diaspora engagement and involvement.
