PM Dr. Harris, ‘Climate change weighs heavily on our daily lives’ – The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer

NEW YORK The United Nations must continue efforts to reduce climate change and encourage biodiversity, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Dr. Timothy Harris, told the General Debate on Sept.26 at the virtual 75th Opening Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest independent nation in the Western Hemisphere and the impact of climate change weighs heavily on our daily lives, said the Honourable Dr. Timothy Harris. At this point in time, we are in the most active part of the hurricane season, at the mercy of Mother Nature, and for this reason climate change will always be high on our agenda.

Climate change for us is not something to be postponed for tomorrow. Indeed, it must be addressed like yesterday. We must regain the momentum and continue our work to consolidate the gains made so far.

Earlier this month, the UN warned that countries are set to miss critical targets to preserve and protect earths biodiversity. This requires, of course, immediate and drastic action.

We are pleased to advocate for Sustainable Development Goal #15, which calls for us to protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss, explained the Prime Minister.

I look forward to joining my SIDS colleagues at the High-level Summit on Biodiversity to champion the cause for us to protect our biodiversity not just on land but on our high seas.

For St. Kitts and Nevis, the ocean is our lifeblood. Let us protect it to preserve a stronger and safer future.

Food Security

The Food Systems Summit to be held next year is timely, since our current inadequacies, as exposed by the pandemic, demand a vigorous examination of our strategies for food production and nutrition security. I am particularly encouraged by the positive response of Kittitians and Nevisians in answering the call of my Government to strengthen our food security by scaling up our investments in agriculture and fisheries.

25th Anniversary of Fourth World Conference on Women

The 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women is to be celebrated. As we continue to hail the contribution of women to the socio-economic landscape of our country and the world at large, we are pleased to join in the commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women next week, said Dr. Harris.

Earlier this year, we commenced our examination of the national implementation of the Beijing Declaration. The findings revealed that the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has much to celebrate regarding the advancement of women over the past 25 years; but, of course, there is still much more ground yet to be covered, and many trails yet to be blazed.

Through the implementation of our National Gender Policy and other legislation and focused attention on the Beijing Declarations 12th Action Point The Girl Child, we will continue to prioritize our pursuit of gender equality and the empowerment of our women and girls, concluded Dr. Harris.

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PM Dr. Harris, 'Climate change weighs heavily on our daily lives' - The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer