Basseterre, Saint Kitts, May 01, 2025 (SKNIS): Saint Kitts and Nevis’ Cabinet Secretary Dr. Marcus L. Natta has urged world leaders to support small island nations by improving access to financial resources and technological solutions, and forming partnerships to help safeguard populations and natural environments for future generations.
The call was made at a high-level ministerial forum on Wednesday, April 30 – held as part of the 2025 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties (COP) to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions held in Geneva, Switzerland from April 28 to May 01.
Joined by Derionne Edmeade, Director in the Department of Environment, and Franklyn Connor, Head of Chemistry at the St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards, Dr. Natta represented Saint Kitts and Nevis in discussions focused on improving how countries manage harmful chemicals and waste. This year’s conference is being held under the theme “Make Visible the Invisible: Sound Management of Chemicals and Wastes.”
According to Dr. Natta, a past Vice President of the Stockholm Convention (2015-2019), Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as Saint Kitts and Nevis confront these issues daily, requiring immediate attention beyond theoretical discussion.
“As the smallest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere, Saint Kitts and Nevis is working to transform our nation through our Sustainable Island State Agenda (SISA) – a people-centred framework tackling interconnected crises: biodiversity collapse, plastic pollution, and climate change,” said Dr. Natta. “These threats amplify risks to food security, public health, and national stability, demanding urgent national action and global solidarity. Yet outdated metrics, like the World Bank’s ‘high-income’ label, obscure persistent vulnerabilities, like extreme climate vulnerability and the toxic burden of imported pollution, and skew access to concessional financing.”
Dr. Natta explained that Saint Kitts and Nevis seeks to finance environmental projects through innovative funding like green and sustainability-linked bonds, which support waste management systems and recycling programmes. He emphasised the need to enhance local capabilities through skills development and technology sharing, combined with partnerships among government bodies, businesses and non-profit organisations. Highlighting examples of recent collaboration, Dr. Natta pointed to successful regional workshops on climate resilience and the upcoming 3rd Global Sustainable Island Summit (GSIS3), which will be hosted in Saint Kitts and Nevis from May 27-29, 2025. These events, he said, show how knowledge-sharing and teamwork can help small islands fast-track global environmental standards at the local level.
He urged more private sector investment in clean technologies and the development of new solutions like converting organic waste to energy and enforcing producer responsibility for product waste. He stressed that these measures are essential to minimise pollution and create a sustainable future that benefits everyone.
Dr. Natta closed with a powerful message to the global community.
“Let this COP be remembered not for rhetoric, but for binding commitments: advocating for modernising financing metrics, enforcing producer accountability and amplifying SIDS’ voices. Together, let us make the invisible visible – through justice, equity and unstoppable resolve,” he said. “Saint Kitts and Nevis stands ready to lead. We urge you to act.”
The BRS Conventions unite global governments to combat the increasing dangers of hazardous chemicals and waste. Saint Kitts and Nevis maintains a crucial position in worldwide initiatives as it advocates for vulnerable countries while striving for a more sustainable planet.
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