BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, December 04, 2023 (SKNIS) – The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is taking bold steps at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) by sharing with the rest of the world its vision of becoming a sustainable island state. The Federation is also inviting other countries and organizations to partner with it towards achieving this goal.
The St. Kitts and Nevis delegation, led by Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, staged a National Ministerial Side-Event Session at the Country Pavilion in Dubai on Monday, December 04, 2023. Held under the theme, “Moving Toward Sustainability with SISA2040”, the important event saw Government officials sharing information on how the Federation will achieve its ambitious goals.
The transformation of the nation into a Sustainable Island State is based on seven (7) key pillars of the Federation’s Sustainable Island State Agenda, namely, food security, green energy transition, economic diversification, sustainable industries, the creative economy, COVID-19 recovery, and social protection.
Prime Minister Dr. Drew emphasized that among the seven pillars, the transition to green energy is pivotal in advancing St. Kitts and Nevis towards becoming a sustainable island state. He underscored this commitment by highlighting the recent agreement signed by St. Kitts and Nevis to establish the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage project in the Caribbean.
“We are not standing back and waiting for people to bring the solutions to us. Rather, we are fighting to find our own solutions and seeking partners to join us in this journey,” said Prime Minister Dr. Drew.
Moreover, the honourable prime minister spoke of the collaborative pursuit by the Federal Government and the Nevis Island Administration for the exploration of geothermal energy on Nevis.
The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) is already on board and the Government is still actively seeking additional partners for the geothermal project.
“We are determined because [the geothermal project] can provide up to one gigawatt of energy which can of course supply St. Kitts and Nevis easily but also supply new industries and be solutions for nearby countries and so we are offering that as well, as part of the solution of the Caribbean transitioningPrime Minister Drew said.”
Support for the vision of the sustainable island state was also given by Minister of Foreign Affairs et al., the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil Douglas; Minister of Energy, the Honourable Konris Maynard and Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, and Climate Action, the Honourable Dr. Joyelle Clarke.
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