Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 02, 2021 (SKNIS): Kervin Lloyd, a representative of the Foreign Assistance Sub-Committee, said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has formed numerous relationships with regional and international allies who stand ready to assist the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis in times of crisis resulting from disasters.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has forged several beautiful partnerships with practically all of our allies. We have a very good relationship with the [Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture] IICA, the Canadian Government, and the Government of the United States of America. There are a number of places, even Mexico and some of the Latin American countries, that stand ready,” said Mr. Lloyd during his September 01 appearance on Working for You. “There are countries who, even if they face the possibility of being impacted at the time when we are impacted by a natural disaster, they still stand ready to offer whatever assistance they can.”
Mr. Lloyd used the occasion to recognize the Republic of China (ROC) Taiwan for the tremendous assistance it continues to give to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Let me single out Taiwan’s extremely efficient response to any time there is a threat on St. Kitts and Nevis, be it hurricanes… For example, when the volcano was giving trouble in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan was asking what is the possibility, what would happen concerning our own Mt. Liamuiga here. And even at that point, they gave their commitment that they were ready to stand with St. Kitts and Nevis in terms of any assistance we might need,” the Foreign Assistance Sub-Committee representative added.
He said that MOFA continues to ensure that its database is updated regularly to not lose contact with its respective allies.
“What we have been doing is making sure that our contacts within the disaster assistance arena of the United States, Canada, the European Union (EU) and so on, that the names and faces and contacts that we associate with in getting assistance in times of disaster, that they are intact,” he said. “So far for the year, we have updated those contacts like four times. We have been going over and over our contacts just to make sure that in the event of a disaster they are right there, our reach to them is right there.”
MOFA also has a close-knit relationship with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Mr. Lloyd noted that at times, the agency reaches out to MOFA “even before the ministry is able to contact them concerning an impending disaster.”
