Business View Caribbean | Volume 9, Issue 3

8 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 3 Prime Minister, your presence here today and that of senior officials is proof of the high level of significance that the Government of SKN places in its partnership with the UN not only affecting health systems, but their ability to provide for themselves and to ensure food security. Describing the pandemic as “brutal” to tourism dependent islands like St. Kitts, he noted that over the past two years the pandemic had “literally wiped out the tourism sector.” While able to respond in part due to fiscal prudent management, the Prime Minister noted that measures taken to address poverty and to save jobs, had come at a high cost to income flows. Given the current challenges and the difficulty of overcoming climate change consequences, while not yet out of the shadow of COVID-19, he emphasized the importance of partnerships and the need for every country that can contribute to another to do so. “We shall continue to need the UN support to help small island developing states such as St. Kitts and Nevis , because the SDGs are, still in some respect, elusive for some SIDS,” he concluded. Members of the UN Sub-regional Team from UNDP, FAO, PAHO, ITU, UNFPA, WFP and UNOPS, also participated in the signing ceremony, and offered congratulations to the Government, while giving assurances of their continued support. The MSDCF identifies four key priorities for achieving resilient sustainable development in the region: increased support to the economic resilience agenda; intensified efforts to ensure realization of human rights for all; strong commitment to enhancing inclusive disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation; and scaled up support to ensure that Caribbean societies remain peaceful and just societies. wrought by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the UN Head observed: “Prime Minister, your presence here today and that of senior officials is proof of the high level of significance that the Government of SKN places in its partnership with the UN. I want to truly thank you for the trust. To this end, you would appreciate the people-centric nature of this 5-year Cooperation Framework. It seeks to achieve two urgent priorities: accelerate progress towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and facilitate faster recovery from the socio- economic impact of COVID-19.” In addressing the ceremony shortly before signing the new agreement, Prime Minister Harris said the COVID-19 pandemic had exposed the vulnerabilities of St. Kitts and Nevis and other Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS), UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Didier Trebucq and Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris sign the 2022-2026 United Nations Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework during the Feb 17 virtual signing ceremony. Photo: © UNRCO/Government of SKN