Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 13, 2023 (SKNIS): Public and private sector stakeholders met at the CUNA Conference Centre on Thursday (January 12, 2023) to assess the United Nations (UN) system’s programmatic support to St. Kitts and Nevis in 2022, in keeping with the UN Country Implementation Plan (CIP) for the Federation.
The half-day review was facilitated by the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Sustainable Development. It was supported by officials from the various UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes who were in attendance (mostly virtually) to provide additional information and answer questions about past activities that they facilitated and to discuss upcoming initiatives being planned for St. Kitts and Nevis.
Sherilita Dore-Tyson, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sustainable Development, welcomed the Mid-term Review of the United Nations Country Implementation Plan during a brief ceremony. The review, which is being undertaken by the UN in St. Kitts and Nevis, is extremely useful to help coordinate and capture activities and their impact on residents.
“As the new administration rolls out its priorities and programmes, the CIP is flexible enough to take stock of progress made and adjust the approaches according to changing needs and to ensure that success is achieved,” the Permanent Secretary stated. “… This, and successive reviews of the CIP, will help our Ministry to fine-tune its own monitoring and evaluating systems, keep abreast of developments across all sectors and coordinate even better with other partners and donors outside of the UN.”
The classification of St. Kitts and Nevis as a high-income country, as well as the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, has made it more challenging to achieve the SDGs. However, the government has committed to achieving these goals.
“In this regard, the development of financing and mobilization strategies are needed to identify and close funding gaps for implementing national priorities,” Ms. Dore-Tyson said.
The session also provided an opportunity for stakeholders to provide feedback on the support provided so far and make recommendations for strengthening the arrangements between the UN and St. Kitts and Nevis
The outcomes of the country implementation plan review will help to inform discussions at an upcoming regional ministerial meeting.
