Regional Integration and Diaspora Unit – (December 18, 2023) On International Migrants Day, the world contemplates and celebrates the positive impacts migrants have made in their adopted homelands. In her 2023 International Migration Day Address, Director-General of the UN International Organization for Migration, Ms Amy Pope said, “People on the move are powerful drivers for development in both their origin and destination countries, as workers, students, entrepreneurs, family members, artists, and much more.”
Today’s celebration is commemorated under the theme, “Honouring the contributions of migrants and respecting their rights”.
The government of Saint Kitts and Nevis is ever mindful that our migrants sustain strong connections with the Federation while they create new ties with their new communities, where they bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and skills.
We also acknowledge those non-nationals who have settled here among us in Saint Kitts and Nevis bringing with them their talents, their food, and their artistic expressions, thereby adding diversity to the richness of our national tapestry.
Today, we celebrate all migrants – those who have chosen to call Saint Kitts and Nevis their home, as well as our nationals who have sought opportunity in other lands while celebrating the vivacious spirit of Saint Kitts and Nevis wherever they go.
The movements of migration capture the joys and uncertainties of adventure. Through migration, synergies create new social, economic and cultural constructs that were unimaginable in times past. As a result, walls of segregation and mistrust are broken down and that which once divided civilizations now unite us.
It is for these reasons, Saint Kitts and Nevis continues to benefit from the influences of those who have migrated into and out of our country for study, for work, and to explore their artistic capabilities. Through positive migration inflow and outflows, Saint Kitts and Nevis, the smallest country in the western hemisphere, has developed and grown in leaps and bounds.
Saint Kitts and Nevis salutes all migrants on International Migrants Day and reaffirms its commitment to advocate for the rights of migrants in all lands. We celebrate the presence, the influence and the accomplishments of our nationals and citizens in the Diaspora. We encourage our nationals and citizens to pray for peace of the land in which they have settled, for in its peace they too shall enjoy peace and prosperity.
Happy International Migrants Day.
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