United Nations, New York (12 August 2025) – In a bid to leverage his presence and participation in the First Working Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for drafting the UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation, Attorney General Garth Wilkin met with senior legal officials at the United Nations. Stephen Mathias, Assistant Secretary General and Officer-in-Charge welcomed the Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs and his delegation to deepen St. Kitts and Nevis-United Nations dialogue. Attorney General Wilkin was joined by H.E. Dr Mutryce Williams, Permanent Representative of St. Kitts and Nevis to the UN, Mr. Eustace T. Wallace, Minister Counsellor, and Mrs. Liska Hutchinson Rhyner, Crown Counsel.
Both high officials agreed on the need to enhance legal cooperation to ensure small island states like St. Kitts and Nevis took advantage of opportunities embedded in international jurisprudence resulting from new treaties, including the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction or BBNJ Agreement, also referred to by some stakeholders as the High Seas Treaty or Global Ocean Treaty.
As the Permanent Mission of St. Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations expands partnership and capacity building opportunities, the BBNJ was singled out as fertile ground for inter ministerial training, upskilling and workforce development. According to the United Nations the BBNJ focuses on “Marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits; Measures such as area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; Environmental impact assessments; and Capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology. The Agreement also addresses several “cross-cutting issues”, establishes a funding mechanism and sets up institutional arrangements, including a Conference of the Parties and various subsidiary bodies, a Clearing-House Mechanism and a secretariat.”
Senator Garth Wilkin welcomed the initiative by underlining “our Sustainable Island State Agenda 2040 relies on our ability to go out into the world and shore up partnerships, programs, and projects. The United Nations remains one of our most meaningful development partners and legal and maritime opportunities will allow Kittitians and Nevisians to benefit directly from expanded opportunities in maritime education, entrepreneurship, innovation and even maritime law and security.
Prime Minister Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew emphasized that, “we will seize new areas of opportunities to ensure St. Kitts and Nevis is positioned for international leadership across
emerging sectors. As a large ocean state, we must begin to leverage our ocean resources and the ecosystems of the Caribbean Sea to boost our pursuit of sustainability, resilience and security. Our public servants must be better equipped to negotiate internationally, our fisherfolk must benefit from expanded opportunities at sea to care for their families and our youth must have access to emerging technologies and innovations to expand their horizons and their security.”
These discussions show the determination of this administration to deliver diplomacy with results.
Both parties pledged to translate the meeting into long term partnership between the Office of Legal Affairs and the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis.
