UNESCO Ambassador Doyle Highlights Progress in St. Kits and Nevis’ Education, Biodiversity and Cultural Heritage Initiatives

Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, October 16, 2025 (UNESCO National Commission) – In a packed series of meetings across the Federation this week, Federal and NIA ministers, representatives from cultural, education and youth stakeholders and NGOs heard of compelling progress being made in implementing some eight tangible UNESCO capacity-building activities in St. Kitts-Nevis, covering education, biodiversity, cultural heritage and science.

These outreach opportunities presented themselves during a second visit to the Federation this year by St Kitts and Nevis’ Ambassador to UNESCO based in Paris, H.E. David Doyle, who, accompanied by H.E. Nerys Dockery, Secretary-General of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO, held a series of meetings, briefings and a separate day-long visit to Nevis.

The critical role of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO was underscored at all events in ensuring a robust and effective oversight of all UNESCO-related activities on the ground in the twin-island state, in support of the country’s sustainable island state agenda.

St. Kitts and Nevis continues to benefit from a growing level of technical UNESCO expertise deployed in the Federation in multiple areas associated with policy development and institutional capacity building covering Education, Cultural Heritage and Biodiversity.

One flagship project that met with resounding endorsement at all levels was the recently launched collaboration with the Open University of Tanzania, developed in the context of the country’s quest to professionalize the teaching force by increasing the number of teachers with a bachelor’s degree qualification in critical areas in education including special needs education.

An MOU between the Ministry of Education and the Open University of Tanzania (OUT), is endorsed by UNESCO and the first of its kind to be explored in the Caribbean region. It will offer remote-based access for the country’s teachers to the OUT’s bachelor’s degree in education.

Another area of cooperation being explored with UNESCO will involve funded initiatives connected to the build out of the Federation’s cultural and creative industries and economies. Ambassador Doyle and Secretary General Dockery both emphasized the need for the Federation to utilize UNESCO capacity-building and training expertise to develop more structured and professionalized cultural and creative industries, and in identifying indigenous intangible cultural heritage (ICH) items for inscription on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List for Humanity for worldwide recognition. The Federation’s ICH ambitions also contribute to a fundamental national understanding of the past: It allows for a better comprehension of previous generations and the historical origins of a society.

Members of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO, the UNESCO Scientific Routes of Enslaved Peoples Committee, the St. Mary’s Biosphere Reserve Committee and various ministers and stakeholders within the Nevis Island Administration were updated on a range of existing and new UNESCO projects currently being initiated across the Federation, such as:

· Project to restructure the national qualifications Accreditation System.

· Progress towards achieving full compliance with the Anti-doping in Sport standards.

· Developing a National Intangible Cultural Heritage Policy framework with a view to incorporating several items on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

· Identifying eligible historical, cultural sites in the Federation for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Ambassador Doyle’s visit also included a briefing meeting with Senator the Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment. The Minister, and her team, accompanied by Secretary General Nerys Dockery and Mrs. Telca Wallace, national Coordinator for the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme endorsed the work plan moving forward and the ongoing sensitization project for the elimination of the use of single-use plastics in the Biosphere Reserve. They also discussed various funding proposals to establish a community seed bank of indigenous and climate resilient seeds and construction of shade houses in the St. Mary’s Biosphere Reserve in Cayon.

Ambassador Doyle’s visit to the Federation included a productive and well-received day-long series of meetings in Nevis, starting with the Hon Premier of Nevis, the Hon. Mark Brantley and Minister Eric Evelyn. He also participated in briefing meetings with the Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas, Minister of Foreign Minister on the range of UNESCO activities being implemented across the Federation.

Commenting on the week-long visit, Ambassador Nerys Dockery, Secretary General of the Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO, stated, “I am pleased that Ambassador Doyle was able to accept our invitation to conduct a series of meetings on St. Kitts and on Nevis to introduce to all stakeholders to the plans, ongoing and projected, dedicated to attracting funding from UNESCO towards the national development objectives on both islands. The discussions have been robust and engaging with high enthusiasm shown for the role that UNESCO can play with advancing the work of the various ministries that are aligned with its remit. Ambassador Doyle and I are now fully seized of the weight of expectations and will work diligently over the next several months to deliver on the promise of UNESCO as a key development partner to the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.”

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