The National Commission of St. Kitts and Nevis for UNESCO: 2025, A Remarkable Year in Review

Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, March 9, 2026 (UNESCO National Commission) – The St. Kitts and Nevis National Commission for UNESCO, under the leadership and guidance of the Hon. Dr. Geoffrey Hanley, Minister of Education et al and H.E. Ambassador David Doyle, has submitted its report for 2025, highlighting significant achievements and initiatives in education, cultural heritage, and biodiversity protection and conservation.

Spear-headed by H.E. Nerys Dockery, Secretary General, the National Commission has made notable strides in advancing UNESCO’s goals that are impacting in the twin-island state. She stated: “Some remarkable initiatives have been undertaken over 2025 in critical areas of the UNESCO mandate, adding tangible value in developing St. Kitts and Nevis’ policy frameworks and implementation”.

Key highlights include the reform and restructuring of the national qualifications accreditation system, development of a National Intangible Cultural Heritage Policy, the development of a National Gender Policy, identification of four historical cultural sites for inscription on the UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List, identification of the Masquerade traditions of St. Kitts and Nevis for the UNESCO World Heritage List of Intangible Cultural Heritage for Humanity, the launch of the UNESCO Routes of Enslaved People’s Essay Competition and the successful hosting of the historic visit of Dr. Julius Garvey, son and heir of the Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey.

The National Commission also facilitated via UNESCO, and with Government of Japan funding, the introduction of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into the national curriculum and launched initiatives to transform the St. Mary’s Biosphere Reserve into a biodiversity-led agricultural protected zone.

A flagship success story is the teachers-training collaboration project with the Open University of Tanzania, offering remote-based digital access to a Bachelor’s Degree qualification for 26 St. Kitts and Nevis teachers. This initiative demonstrates the Commission’s commitment to investing in the country’s teaching force.

Looking ahead, the Commission is poised to launch a game-changing capacity-building exercise at the St. Marys’ Biosphere Reserve in biodiversity, leveraging the Italian Government’s funded Earth Network Initiative. The project will focus on sustainable agriculture, ecosystem stability, and climate-smart agriculture models, pioneered by the creation of municipal seed banks and green/shade houses.

Additionally, a dedicated campaign to eliminate single-use plastics at the St. Mary’s Biosphere Reserve will be spearheaded by 650 school youth, promoting awareness and action on plastic waste reduction.

“We are proud of our achievements in 2025 and look forward to continued collaboration with UNESCO and our growing community of partners to drive progress in St. Kitts and Nevis,” said the Hon. Dr. Hanley.

Ambassador Doyle stated: “St. Kitts and Nevis’ productive relations with, and our successful projects linked to, UNESCO, are largely due to the relentless focus on aligning UNESCO’s unique expertise in education, biodiversity and cultural policy areas to the Federation’s quest to transform itself into a sustainable island state. Working closely with the efficient team at the National Commission, we are confident of an equally compelling series of UNESCO-driven activities with optimal impact across St. Kitts and Nevis going into 2026”.

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