St. Kitts and Nevis wants Rio+20 to focus on green economy, poverty eradication

(left to right) Hon. Carlisle Powell; the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas and the Hon. Dr. Earl Asim Martin at the Rio+20 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JUNE 22ND 2012 (CUOPM) – St. Kitts and Nevis has called on the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development now meeting in Rio Janerio, Brazil to focus on the green economy and poverty eradication.

“And we all agree that the development of a low carbon development pathway is essential -for nations large and small, as we all strive to eradicate poverty, increase employment, enhance food security, manage freshwater resources, and increase energy efficiency on behalf of our respective peoples,” he told thousands of delegates including over 100 world leaders at the Rio+20 conference.

Prime Minister Douglas noted however that the transition to a green economy will, however, produce its own challenges, and so appropriate allowances will also have to be made to small nations that do decide to venture down this path.

“St. Kitts and Nevis, for example, would be particularly vulnerable to the associated shocks, and so compensatory provisions would have to be put in place prior to our imposing the associated social hurdles on our population,” said Dr. Douglas.

He said that a green economy is of critical importance to St. Kitts and Nevis, as it is to the CARICOM region as a whole, and so St. Kitts and Nevis stands ready to engage in the full sustainable development agenda.

Prime Minister Douglas’ delegation to the conference includes St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Energy, the Hon. Dr. Earl Asim Martin; Minister of Planning in the Nevis Island Administration, the Hon. Carlisle Powell; Director of Physical Planning and the Environment, Mr. Randolph Edmeade and Foreign Service Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Verna Morris.