BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, June 19, 2018 (DBSKN) -- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation breaks new grounds next week when it hosts the first Diaspora Conference and Expo at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort under the theme ‘Building Partnerships towards Sustainable Development’ that is expected to bring together over 250 Kittitians and Nevisians from the Diaspora.
The three day event which runs from Tuesday June 26 to Thursday June 28 marks the culmination of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs policy document that aimed at reaching out to the Diaspora through the country’s missions. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, Ms Kaye Bass, noted that the Ministry wanted the country’s missions overseas to engage the Diaspora.
According to the Permanent Secretary, the holding of the conference has been made possible through partnerships with corporate sponsors. She made the remarks on Thursday June 14 when she received a sponsorship cheque from Ms Vernitha Maynard, Marketing Officer at the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis which is one of the Platinum Sponsors.
The conference has been strategically sandwiched between two events that will bring home a large turnout from the Kittitian and Nevisian Diaspora. These are the Anguilla Nevis and St. Kitts Associations Reunion (ANSAR) biennial meeting that will be held in St. Kitts (June 22-24) and the St. Kitts Music Festival that blasts off on Wednesday June 27.
“A lot of persons will be coming home - ANSAR itself I understand will be catering for about 500 persons,” said Ms Bass. “We are exploiting that event hoping that some who came for the ANSAR biennial meeting will stay on for the Diaspora Conference as well as the Music Festival. That is usually the case, because we hosted ANSAR in 2008 and most persons stayed on for Music Festival.”
The conference theme ‘Building Partnerships towards Sustainable Development’ was chosen for two reasons, stated the Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Aviation.
She noted that the Sustainable Development Goals which were instituted under the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda have within them 17 goals that range from ending poverty to establishing international partnerships. Ms Bass observed: “We realised that for the Government to be able to achieve these goals, it has to build partnerships, not only with the private sector, international partners and states but with its own Diaspora. So, we are going to build partnership with the Diaspora.”
Since the Ministry was of the view that the Diaspora is of more value than what many perceive as they could even invest at home, it was decided that a Diaspora conference to initiate the engagement would be perfect. After making a Cabinet submission, the Cabinet was supportive of the idea and it endorsed the formation of a committee to plan for it and the committee has been in place working. Ms Bass noted that persons on the committee come from different Government agencies as well as the civil society and the private sector.
When the conference opens, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, and Premier of Nevis the Hon Mark Brantley will deliver the welcome remarks, Ms Michela Macchiavello from the International Organisation for Migration will speak on Diaspora and Development. Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, will give some remarks.
“Throughout the two days we also would have some panels,” noted Permanent Secretary Bass. The panels, she noted, will comprise of members from the Diaspora community and they will be talking on various topics including how they would have developed themselves overseas and how they are giving back to the country, and will also talk about their challenges and opportunities in trying to give back to the country.
On presenting the platinum sponsorship cheque, Ms Maynard said that as a financial institution the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis has the Diaspora at the centre of its development agenda. It has through its education and personal development funds programmes contributed to the growth of the Kittitian and Nevisian Diaspora.
“The Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis, which understands that development should be pursued from all available angles, has contributed immensely towards the transition that makes our people members of the diaspora,” observed Ms Maynard. “We are therefore pleased to partner with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to harness tangible development from our own people who have developed themselves while overseas. This Diaspora Conference is timely at this stage of our country’s development.”
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