Minister of Environment Attends Series of Climate meetings leading up to UNFCCC COP 27

Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 22, 2022 – The participation in the series of meeting leading up to  COP27 in Egypt which was held under the theme “Together for Implementation” was intentional on  part of the Minister of Environment and Climate Action, Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke, to ensure that St  Kitts and Nevis is once again a significant part of the global and regional debate on Climate Finance,  Loss and Damage and Climate Action. 

St Kitts and Nevis by virtue of its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program is usually listed as a high income country which precludes its participation in our access to development grants usually  reserved for low-income countries. Additionally, to ensure that St. Kitts and Nevis is able to access  private sector investment partnership options, there is a need for high-level representatives to  engage on the global scale. 

Having recently included Climate Action as a major portfolio [first in the history of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis] there is a need to ensure the government is intentional about participation  and further the following through on the outcomes of meetings. 

Green Climate Fund (GCF) Conference and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) are two  critical meetings where climate finance and climate action are prioritized. 

Key proposals already developed due to the partnership and commitments include working on  national projects with support of 5Cs and the GCF. The bilateral meetings at the sessions have  already confirmed the support of Antigua and Barbuda for St. Kitts and Nevis moving towards  Adaptation Fund access and reviewing the Climate Roof to Reef program in Barbados. 

Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke expressed that her decision to partner with the Minister of Energy is  intentional and deliberate as this new government must stay true to the commitment made by the  Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew to become a fully sustainable island  state. 

Renewable energy, clean manufacturing, high tech schools, and sustainable tourism, including food security through climate smart agricultural practices demand that this new government forge partnerships at the ministerial level. Ministers will continue to attend workshops together where needed to ensure that ministries move along one common goal: Sustainability and Climate resilience.