PM Drew engages in productive engagements at 4th SIDS conference

St. Kitts and Nevis: Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew and his delegation engaged in a number of productive engagements in Antigua at the 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States.

While talking at the United Nations High-level meeting on the mobilization of resources for Small Island Developing States, he said that the islands cannot fund their way out of climate change, but finance is critically important as much as one wishes to fund.

He made it clear that if they don’t stop or halt significantly the acceleration to go above 1.5, the financing that the leader speaks of will never be enough.

While citing examples of climate change, the Prime Minister noted that St Kitts and Nevis used to be a water abundant country and now it is a water scarce country as they cannot supply the people with 24/7 water anymore and this is a result of climate change and multiple other factors including decrease in rainfall, increased temperature and salt water intrusion as a result of sea level rise.

In addition to this, he was privileged to deliver remarks focused on the development and prosperity of SIDS. He also met with Special Envoy of the United Arab Emirates Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Caribbean and Pacific States, Omar Shehadeh and discussed critical issues such as water, sargassum, energy, and financing opportunities.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister engaged with the President of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Dennis Francis while the delegation also participated in a meeting to strengthen Caribbean-EU partnership, where PM Drew highlighted the critical need for innovative financing mechanisms to address the pressing issue of climate change in the Caribbean.

The work of the St. Kitts and Nevis delegation continued at the SIDS conference on Tuesday, with the officials engaging with several high-level dignitaries at a Leaders’ Breakfast Meeting focused on addressing the existential threats posed by sea-level rise.

The breakfast meeting was hosted by the President of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Dennis Francis, and co-hosted by the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, H.E. Feleti Teo.

PM Terrance Drew noted that this issue is of critical importance to SIDS, including the Federation, as they can plainly see the detrimental effects of rising sea levels.