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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — Notice has been given for the first sitting of the National Assembly for the year to be held at the National Assembly Chambers, Government Headquarters, Basseterre, on Thursday February 18, at 10:00 a.m. The Order Paper and other papers will be disseminated later.

The National Assembly will be carried live on ZIZ Radio (96 FM) and participating radio stations. It can also be viewed live on TV Channel 5 in St. Kitts and Channel 98 in Nevis. It will also be streamed live at www.zizonline.com.

Copies of Bills can be found on the website www.sknis.kn of St. Kitts and Nevis Information Service under the section: Bills.

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — Virtual accreditation ceremonies for nine ambassadors accredited to the Federation by their countries were held on February 10 and 11 His Excellency by Sir S.W. Tapley Seaton, GCMG, CVO, QC, JP, LL.D, at Government House.

On Wednesday the countries and their respective Ambassadors were:
The Republic of Turkey, Ambassador Her Excellency Yesim Kebapcioglu; The Federal Republic of Germany, Ambassador Her Excellency Ute Konig; The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ambassador His Excellency Sandor Marnix Raphael Varga van Kibed en Makfalva; The Czech Republic, Ambassador Her Excellency Katefina Lukesova; and The Republic of France, Ambassador His Excellency Jacques-Henry Heuls.

On Thursday four Countries participated: The Portuguese Republic, Ambassador His Excellency Carlos Nuno Almeida de Sousa Amaro; The Federal Republic of Ethiopia, His Excellency Shibru Mama Kedida; The Kingdom of Belgium, Ambassador His Excellency Hugo Verbist; and The European Union, Ambassador Her Excellency Malgorzata Wasilewska;

In all instances, the Governor-General engaged the ambassadors in discussions of mutual interest and solicited assistance in further provision of scholarships and other educational assistance.

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — Hon. Mark Brantley Premier of Nevis met recently with Steve Tyson, the new chairman of the Nevis Chapter of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CIC), to discuss how the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) and the private sector can partner to advance the economic recovery on the island.

Brantley, NIA Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, along with Colin Dore, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, met on February 9, with Tyson and other Chamber officials.
Continue reading Premier Brantley, Nevis CIC officials discuss partnership, economic recovery →

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — The Team Unity Cabinet of Ministers met on Monday, February 08, 2021, at the Ministry of Finance Conference Room, under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris. Several issues affecting the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis were deliberated on.

• The National COVID-19 Task Force, including the Permanent Secretaries of National Security, Health and Foreign Affairs, came to the Cabinet and gave a comprehensive report on the challenges and successes of the Federation in managing the COVID-19 pandemic especially since the reopening of the borders almost four months ago.

• The Chief Medical Officer gave the usual statistics and filled in the Cabinet that of the 40 confirmed COVID-19 positive cases recorded so far, 38 were fully recovered and the other two active cases were in stable condition. She gave an overview of the interaction between hotel managers who have been managing COVID-19 quarantine sites, and that the sites thus far have been functioning satisfactorily. She also informed that at the JNF General Hospital Laboratory the molecular machine was up and running and that the Alexandra Hospital in Nevis is in the process of securing their own molecular machine. She also reported on the breach at the hotel and was satisfied that all staff who interacted with the COVID-19 positive guest were in quarantine. She explained the way forward for immunization in order to achieve herd immunity and explained the threshold needed to achieve this result. The Cabinet was advised that the public education campaign in relation to the vaccine was being rolled out, and now that more labs are coming into operation testing can now be done more expeditiously. The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health also reported that the Cuban Brigade is likely to be here for another three months to support our health professionals at this critical time.

• The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASPA) gave statistics over a comparative period spanning January 2019 to January 2021 where the expected decreases were highlighted. Additionally, he reported that the backlog of cargo at the port has been cleared and that SCASPA was looking at what needs to be done in order to achieve the seamless handling of both cargo and passengers in the future.

• The ICT (Information and Communication Technology) technician walked the Cabinet through the process for entering and departing the Federation. The Chief Immigration Officer shared the statistics of incoming and departing passengers over the period and so far, there were no major challenges experienced with immigration.

• The Acting Comptroller of Customs informed the Cabinet that the Customs Department will be working more closely with ICT to facilitate the online clearing of goods.

• The CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority shared that the average passenger load was down considerably, however over 4000 persons had been trained to function during the COVID-19 pandemic and she suggested that the yachting sector may be able to pick up the slack if a bubble on the South-East Peninsula could be created to accommodate yachtsmen.

• The Head of the Compliance Task Force gave an overview of the functions and hoped for a more robust enforcement programme.

• The Chief of Police stated that law enforcement officers have been assisting all the other government agencies in the fight against COVID-19 and would continue to do so. Also, he reported that major crimes are still down, but that petty larceny is still a concern.

• The Commander of St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF) spoke to the support given to the Compliance Team by the Coast Guard and other soldiers.

• The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contributed that the involvement of her ministry with the Task Force is a necessary conduit for sharing travel advisories promptly with their partners regionally and internationally.

• The Director of the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) updated the Cabinet on the new properties which were being visited in an effort to get more hotel rooms available for both quarantine and vacation in place.

• The Medical Officer in Nevis shared her experiences and issues relating to the cooperation on COVID-19 related matters in terms of protocols and procedures between the two islands.

• At the end of the presentations from all the technicians, Cabinet considered submissions which would redound to economic stimulation within the Federation.

• The Attorney General reported on the upcoming peer review for the Federation and gave the different dates for the visiting team’s meeting with stakeholders.

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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — The initial procurement of 21, 600 doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine, will provide coverage for 20 percent of the national population, according to St. Kitts and Nevis’ Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Hazel Laws.

“The doses are the product of AstraZeneca and Oxford University vaccines,” said Dr. Laws, during the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) COVID-19 Press Briefing on February 10.
Continue reading Initial COVID-19 vaccine doses to cover 20 percent of Federation’s population →

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — The Nevis Disaster Management Department (NDMD) recently received a donation of supplies valued at US $28,000 as humanitarian aid from its long-standing partners United States Southern Command (US SOUTHCOM) through the Minimal Cost Project (MPC) at the US Embassy in Barbados.

Brian Dyer, NDMD Director expressed gratitude on behalf of the department for the supplies.
Continue reading Nevis DMD grateful for US $28,000 in supplies from US Southern Command →

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A landmark partnership to help informal operators in the agriculture and fisheries sectors transition to formal standards of labour has been launched by Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The Honourable Audley Shaw, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, signatory to the ILO grant agreement, attended the virtual event on February 4. Other high-level participants included the Honourable Floyd Green, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries; the Honourable Dr. Norman Dunn, Minister of State in the MIIC; and Ms. Valerie Vieira, Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC). Ms. Michelle Parkins, Chief Technical Director at the MIIC, moderated the event.

“It is estimated that approximately 43 percent of the Jamaican economy operates informally,” said Minister Shaw. “The challenge of addressing informality is more severe for workers in the agricultural sector and especially for those in the fisheries subsector. This project will ensure that our farmers and fisherfolks are given the assistance, training and guidance that are required to take them along the path to formality. We want them to understand that agriculture is a business and should be treated as such.”

“The project will see 100 farmers and fisherfolks, who are registered with The Rural Agricultural Development Authority or the National Fisheries Authority, formalize their operations,” said Minister Green. “We know their reality – they operate in this informal space and as such, they are unable to access the keys they need to unlock their true potential to truly modernize and grow our agricultural and fisheries sectors. They are unable to get financing, they are unable to access pension and investment facilities. We want to unlock that potential.”

”Implementation of the project will be led by the JBDC, an agency within the MIIC. My team is excited and ready to deliver. We have placed this project into a programme that we have labelled ‘Beyond Crops and Catch’, specifically to say we are about sustainability,” explained Ms. Vieira.

“We are looking at sustainability in terms of pension, health and investment because we really want to move that narrative and that mental fix away from saying that farming is not a business, so we are really looking at a fulsome engagement with participants.”

This grant agreement supports one of several components that have been agreed with national partners within the multi-dimensional development cooperation programme, approved by the ILO in 2020.

The 15-month ILO programme has as its overall aim, to improve the efficiency and capacity of workers in three target industries – household services, agriculture and fisheries – through various interventions. The ultimate goal is to provide tangible support for persons in these sectors, which will allow them to transform their livelihoods from subsistence activities to economically sustainable employment.

“The Jamaica Formalization Project will receive ILO financial and technical support to strengthen policies for income security, social protection and other incentives for formalization,” said Dennis Zulu, Director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, during the virtual signing ceremony to initiate the collaboration. “It will also feature public awareness and sensitization campaigns to clarify the understanding of the advantages and procedures for businesses and workers to make the shift to the formal economy.”

In addition to ILO support for agricultural enterprise development, the other components will include development of training curriculum for technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and certification linked to fishers’ occupations and needs.

The ILO is already advancing discussions with the Jamaica Household Workers’ Union/Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions and the Jamaica Employers Federation for relevant agreements to provide technical and financial support within the framework of the project. Support will also be provided for interventions of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security; and capacity building for social dialogue among national tripartite constituents, so that they can effectively review and revise relevant legislation for wages and benefits to workers in the target sectors.

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