Basseterre, St. Kitts -- Nov. 8, 2007 --  UN Agency Heads serving Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean met with St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Denzil Douglas and his Cabinet this week, while meeting in retreat on the twin-island Federation.

Heading the retreat was Dr. Rosina Wiltshire who is the Resident Coordinator of the UN system covering Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. Agencies represented by their heads included PAHO, WHO, UNECLAC, FAO, UNIFEM, UNICEF, UNAIDS, ILO, UNDP, UNESCO, ITU, and UNFPA.

Dr. Wiltshire said that, discussions with the St. Kitts-Nevis Cabinet focused around how the UN could more effectively support the Government and people of St. Kitts and Nevis, looking at existing priorities of the UN system and changing priorities where there may be gaps. “The Prime Minister in his discussion, indicated the importance of adding non-communicable diseases to our focus on HIV/AIDS because so many of the Caribbean people particularly the young, with the changing generations, we are seeing the impact of non-communicable diseases, and we talked about the importance of climate change and energy, to the St. Kitts-Nevis and the sub-region.”

Dr. Wiltshire praised the ability and resilience of St. Kitts and Nevis in managing change. “I would like to congratulate the Government and people of St. Kitts-Nevis in spite of the changing global international system, the challenges the changing trade regime have brought to St. Kitts-Nevis, the closing of the sugar industry, and the impact of high debt servicing. Challenges facing the youth, changing value systems, and increasing crime,” Dr. Wiltshire said are areas that, “we as a system are committed to making a difference.”