Prime Minister Drew Calls on OECS Credit Unions to Help Region Confront Emerging Crises

New York, USA, September 24, 2025 (PMO)—Although fully engaged in a packed schedule of diplomatic meetings and climate negotiations during the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA80) in New York, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, made time to deliver virtual opening remarks to the attendees of the 18th Annual OECS Credit Union Summit, currently underway in St. Kitts.

Delivering his message under the summit’s theme, “One Vision, One Future: OECS Credit Unions Growing Together,” Prime Minister Drew applauded the credit union movement for its continued commitment to people-centered financial empowerment. He described credit unions as a “cornerstone of economic resilience” throughout the Caribbean, especially in communities often overlooked by traditional financial institutions.

However, in a sobering yet galvanizing message, Prime Minister Drew issued a clear and urgent call for credit unions across the OECS to mobilize in response to the polycrisis affecting the region. He cited several overlapping challenges, post-COVID economic recovery, climate change, geopolitical tensions, imported inflation, and regional instability, as existential threats that demand coordinated and innovative solutions.

Highlighting the direct impacts of climate change from irregular rainfall and weakened food security to intensifying hurricanes, sea level rise, and the ongoing sargassum crisis, Prime Minister Drew urged summit participants to envision a proactive and collaborative path forward. He emphasized the unique capacity of credit unions to anchor local economies and inspire regional cooperation.

The 18th OECS Credit Union Summit brings together cooperative stakeholders from across the Eastern Caribbean to strengthen collaboration, share strategies, and reaffirm the movement’s role in inclusive development.