BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, May 28, 2024 (SKNIS) – As part of his scheduled engagements in Antigua for the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4), St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew participated in a high-level side event that tackled the issue of access to climate financing for small island states.
The event, “Re-aligning Climate Finance: Accelerating Equal Access and Inclusion”, was hosted by the Caribbean Women in Leadership (CIWiL) organisation and other key partners.
Prime Minister Dr. Drew was joined on the high-level panel by Minister of Social Transformation, Human Resource Development, Youth and Gender Affairs in the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, the Honourable Samantha Marshall; Vice President (Ag.) of the Caribbean Development Bank, Therese Turner-Jones; Director, Caribbean Office of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Diane Quarless, and the President of CIWiL, Nana Oye Hesse-Bayne.
On the issue of climate change and its far-reaching impact on lives, livelihoods and the environment, Prime Minister Dr. Drew said that robust education and awareness activities are required at all levels of society to increase action. He noted, “We have to make sure at every stage there is a connection from the grassroots level upwards, otherwise we are not going anywhere.”
Prime Minister Dr. Drew also shared his administration’s vision of transforming St. Kitts and Nevis into a model sustainable island state for the benefit of all the people.
Dr. Drew further remarked, however, that an all-of-society approach is needed to achieve this ambitious and significant goal.
He said, “Every sector [in government], the private, community groups and even down to football groups need to be sensitised as to what the Sustainable Island State Agenda is so that all their actions can actually be geared towards helping to achieve what we are seeking to achieve in sustainability in a practical way.”
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