The Ministries of Sustainable Development and Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment Partner Host Staff Sustainability Symposium on Sustainable Settlements 

Basseterre, St. Kitts, 28 October 2025 – As a means of staff empowerment, awareness raising, and as a flagship close-out of October’s Sustainability Month celebrations, the Ministries of Sustainable Development and Environment, Climate Action, and Constituency Empowerment including the Solid Waste Management Corporation and the Parks and Beaches Unit joined together to host a staff Sustainability Symposium on Tuesday 28 October 2025 at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort under the theme “Sustainable Settlements: Building Resilient, Inclusive, and Thriving Communities”. 

This event was aimed at enhancing proactive cross-engagement and collaboration between the sister Ministries by spotlighting the execution and public impact of the work of each department and highlighting the ways their respective operations inform government policy and institutional practice. 

Featured Items 

Departments, Units, subsidiary bodies and key development partners such as the TaiwanICDF decorated and hosted interactive displays that showcased their daily work, achievements and successes, and any ongoing projects being carried out or future initiatives in the pipeline.   

The event progressed into Working Sessions which comprised of micro-dialogues facilitated by senior staff and management featuring presentations by development partners such as the Saint Kitts Nevis Institute of Architects (SKNIA) and the Royal Basseterre Valley National Park to highlight how land use and management, urban planning, environmental protection and climate action are necessary in collectively defining the existence and prosperity of sustainable settlements across our Federation. 

Legislative Agenda 

Both Ministries outlined their respective pieces of legislation to be tabled in Parliament on Friday 31 October 2025 – the Ministry of Sustainable Development focused on its Architects Registration Act and the Ministry of Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment highlighted its National Conservation and Environmental Management Act.   

Both illustrated their alignment with and anticipated contributions to our broader sustainability objectives. 

Cross-Table Exchange  

The Symposium’s signature finale was the Cross-Table Exchange – a robust series of three (3) thematic dialogues between the Minister, key senior management from across the government, specially invited leads of subsidiary bodies and local experts on policy drafts regarding topics central to the event’s theme such as land management, housing, and the moving the needle on the implementation of the National Development Planning Framework (NDPF) and the achievement of the Sustainable Island State Agenda (SISA) through sustainable settlements. 

Next Steps 

The event clearly underscores both Ministries’ dedication to ensuring that staff are empowered and properly equipped with the necessary knowledge and understanding to serve the public and lead the charge of the full-scale advancement of our national sustainability agenda. 

Building on the momentum of the event and the call for greater public engagement in sustainability, the SISAConnects Survey has been launched – a joint effort between the Departments of Constituency Empowerment and Statistics.   

The survey is designed to capture public perception and awareness of the Sustainable Island State Agenda (SISA) and will be conducted in communities across the country until the end of November.  An online link will also be made available through official channels to ensure broad and equitable participation. 

Contact Information 

Persons with questions concerning the National Development Planning Framework (NDPF), the Sustainable Island State Agenda (SISA) and/or the work of the Ministries of Sustainable Development and Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment are encouraged to connect using the contact information below: 

Ministry of Sustainable Development 

Total Concepts Building 

Bladens, 

Basseterre 

Saint Kitts 

(869) 467-1257