Author: SKNISEditor

Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 20, 2023 (SKNIS): The Whistleblowers Protection Bill, 2023, aimed at safeguarding individuals who report illicit activities within the public service, was successfully passed into law at the Sitting of Parliament on Monday, November 20, 2023, marking a significant stride in the government’s commitment to good governance, transparency, and accountability. The Whistleblowers Protection Bill, 2023, defines a whistleblower as an individual who exposes any kind of information or activity deemed illegal or corrupt within an organization, particularly in the public sector. The primary objective of this legislation is to provide these individuals with the necessary protection to…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 20, 2023 (SKNIS): St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of State responsible for Gender Affairs, the Honourable Isalean Phillip, used the national platform offered by the Federal Parliament to reiterate a strong condemnation against all forms of violence, particularly against society’s most vulnerable. The statement on Monday, November 20, 2023, was made in light of a recent act of violence perpetrated against senior citizen Jason “King Pharaoh” McClean. Mr. McClean was returning home from the inaugural Seniors’ Prom organized by the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Ageing and Disabilities on November 10, 2023, when he was attacked. Minister of State Phillip, who is also a Senator in the Parliament, said Mr. McClean is…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 17, 2023 (SKNIS): A mural advocating for an end to domestic violence in St. Kitts and Nevis will be unveiled on November 27, 2023, as the Department of Gender Affairs prepares to observe 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence. The mural will be painted on the wall along Pond Road in Newtown. It will depict the aftermath of physical abuse on a female. Senior Gender Officer Shinnel Charles said that having a visual representation of the effects of domestic violence will be impactful. “I don’t think that we have any murals in our country that depict…

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, November 20, 2023 (SKNIS) – Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew moved two key legislative amendments in the National Assembly today, (November 20, 2023), that are critical to the buildout of a robust medicinal cannabis industry in the Federation. The Cannabis (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Medical (Amendment) Bill, 2023, both had their second reading in the National Assembly and successfully passed. The Cannabis Act was amended to transfer the responsibility of the Medicinal Cannabis Authority from the Prime Minister to the Minister responsible for Agriculture and also to increase the…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 20, 2023 (SKNIS): In an announcement during the November 20, 2023, Sitting of Parliament, Honourable Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action, and Constituency Empowerment, unveiled plans for the second annual Community Cleanse. This initiative is a significant step in promoting environmental health and sustainability throughout St. Kitts and Nevis. Dr. Clarke touched briefly on the expanded scope and participation of this initiative. She noted that building on the success of the first cleanse, this year’s event is set to be bigger and better. The Ministry, along with the Ministry of Health, Parks…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 20, 2023 (SKNIS): The Honourable Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action, and Constituency Empowerment, during the November 20 Sitting of Parliament, provided a comprehensive update on her Ministries’ recent activities and achievements in promoting sustainable development across St. Kitts and Nevis. This November, the Ministry of Sustainable Development is celebrating Sustainability Month, a significant initiative recognizing the joint efforts of multiple ministries including Tourism, Youth, and Energy. This collaboration underscores the government’s holistic approach to sustainability, demonstrating the interconnectedness of various sectors in achieving sustainable development goals. Additionally, the launch of the…

Friday, 17 November 2023 (CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown): Caribbean youth will benefit from capacity building in methods to mitigate community violence, gender-based violence (GBV), sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and mental health challenges during the inaugural Caribbean Youth Summit (CYS), which will be held 22 – 25 November in Jamaica. The Summit occurs during the “Year of Youth”, declared in early 2023 by the Commonwealth in recognition of the importance of youth. The Commonwealth initiative inspired the CYS 2023 theme, which seeks to place youth as the critical determinant of their destiny: “Securing Our Future: Youth Co-Creating a Peaceful…

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, November 18, 2023 (SKNIS) – From Saturday, November 18 to Saturday, November 25, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Marine Resources and Cooperatives will be hosting a week of activities in observance of World Fisheries Day 2023. World Fisheries Day is celebrated globally on November 21 annually. The activities organized during the week of celebration in St. Kitts and Nevis will seek to amply the ministry’s mission to achieve CARICOM’s 25 by 2025 Agenda of significantly reducing the region’s food import bill to 25 percent by the year 2025. Minister of Fisheries, the Honourable Samal Duggins, in his…

Riyadh- 17th November 2023 – The First CARICOM-Saudi Arabia Summit hosted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 16th November 2023 offered multiple opportunities for robust engagements with both public and private sector entities to explore the potential for collaboration and investment in the Region. As a key member of the Saint Kitts and Nevis delegation, headed by the Honourable Prime Minister, Dr Terrance Drew, the Right Honourable Dr Denzil Douglas, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Economic Development and Investment also attended the Investment Roundtable with CARICOM leaders, the Saudi Ministers of Investment, Foreign Affairs and Tourism as…

Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 17, 2023 (SKNBS): The St. Kitts and Nevis Bureau of Standards (SKNBS) is actively developing a National Vehicle Inspection Standard geared toward ensuring the roadworthiness of vehicles. This standard aims to streamline and unify the vehicle inspection process across the twin-island federation. As part of this initiative, two experienced vehicle inspectors, Mr. Derval Phipps from St. Kitts and Mr. Franchette Manners from Nevis, who also serve on the Bureau’s technical committee, were dispatched to Tokyo, Japan. Their mission was to audit and train with EAA Ltd, a renowned Japanese company specializing in the pre-shipment inspection of…