Growing levels of technical UNESCO expertise being deployed by UNESCO in the Federation in Education, Cultural Heritage and Biodiversity Policy Development were enumerated recently in a detailed briefing by the country’s envoy to UNESCO in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister responsible for UNESCO Affairs, Dr. Geoffrey Hanley.

Some eight UNESCO projects are being implemented concurrently across the Federation, supported by professional guidance and funding in areas ranging from scaling-up the professionalization of the national teaching force to strengthening the biodiversity credentials at the St. Mary’s Biosphere Reserve, and from restructuring of the National Accreditation System for higher qualifications to safeguarding measures to protect St. Kitts and Nevis’ National Intangible Culture.

Late last month, the Federation’s Ambassador to UNESCO in Paris, Dr. David Doyle and H.E. Nerys Dockery, the Secretary-General of the St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO in Basseterre, spoke of the compelling prospects of continuing technical expertise and financial support going into 2025 by this UN specialized agency.

One of the highlights evoked was a three-year biodiversity-strengthening project, now coming to fruition at the St. Mary’s Biosphere Reserve (SMBR) and initiated under the UNESCO Earth Network Programme funded by the Italian government.