Castries, March 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On 24 February 2023, the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Hon. Philip Pierre, three of his Cabinet Ministers and the United States Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Linda Taglialatela, will formally launch three social development programmes that are key in Saint Lucia and will be funded by the United States Agency for International Development Eastern and Southern Caribbean (USAID/ESC).
The host for the event was Johnny Manuel, who welcomed the esteemed guests, along with his co-host, Crystal Sedaj, who had acknowledged the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force Band and Pastor Travis Barons, for opening the ceremony.
The formal launch included the collaboration of the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports; the Ministry of Public Service, Home Affairs, Labour and Gender Affairs; and the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment. U.S. Government representatives, St Lucia Government representatives, stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, and most notably the Saint Lucian youth.
The launch featured the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) in Saint Lucia, which included the programmes Youth resilience, Inclusion, and Empowerment (Y-RIE) Programme; Strengthening Evidence Based Decision Making for Citizen Security 2.0 (CariSECURE 2.0); and the Opportunities to Advance and Support Youth for Success (OASYS) that are designed to build and sustain localised solutions data and systems for mitigating crime and violence in Saint Lucia.
Y-RIE Programme
This programme is in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports to strengthen the national and subnational government-provided social services that will address service accessibility and capabilities of service providers. This programme will develop the learning output for the Saint Lucian youth; prepare them for professional job opportunities; coordinate the youth to connect with professional development initiatives; and strengthen the Saint Lucian community and family structures that impact youth development.
CariSECURE 2.0
Established by the UNDP and in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Justice and National Security will ensure resources and technical assistance to enhance the capacity of Saint Lucia’s Government to identify, screen, investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases more effectively.
OASYS
The OECS Commission will work together with the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment, to appropriately improve the diversion of youth away from custodial sentences; support evidence-based diagnoses, and treatment in rehabilitation and diversion; and facilitate the reintegration of youth into the Saint Lucian community after rehabilitation.
“United States Government will continue to invest in the youth economy and the empowerment of Saint Lucia’s young people, as they are key to the continued development of the country and of the entire Caribbean.” Linda Taglialatela stated. The USAID/ESC’s Regional Representative, Sara Walter, emphasised the crucial partnership will successfully attain the three programmes’ objectives and applauded the Ministers, along with other teams, for their partnership commitments.
The Minister for Home Affairs, Justice and National Security, Dr. Virginia Albert-Poyotte indicated the importance of developing successful policies, programmes and interventions through data and evidence, the role of prevention, and how her Ministry has the responsibility of treating individuals after the crimes have been committed. Dr. Albert-Poyotte highlighted that “The Prime Minister has given the directive to establish a Unit called Youth at Risk...primarily responsible for coordinating all activities relating to young persons from the different government agencies to prevent them from crossing the line.”
The Minister of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment, Joachim Henry, supported USAID by saying that “...the Government of Saint Lucia believes in the support, the development of the island’s human capital as part of a national development thrust.” Minister Henry requested for stakeholders to “...recognise and take cognisance and advantage of the synergistic opportunities presented within the project implementation environment.” Minister Henry urged for the “...recognition of the critical role of non-state actors – the non-government organisations, community-based organisations as well as faith-based organisations, the private sector and others...and coordination of activities.”
The Ministry of Youth Development was represented by Deputy Permanent Secretary Mary Wilfred, Ms. Wilfred commented on the Y-RIE programme being the vital platform to recognise the Saint Lucian youth as assets, and the Ministry of Youth Development’s vision to have the youth respected and valued. In addition, “commitment to the Y-RIE Programme...and pledged support to ensure that our young people are empowered to become architects of peace in the spaces they occupy to contribute to sustainability.” Ms. Wilfred said. The Ministry of Youth Development will dutifully ensure that the Saint Lucian youth are recognised across all programmes.
Investors can also make a difference for the Saint Lucian youth and the Saint Lucian community by obtaining their second citizenship and enjoy the variety of benefits that come with the Saint Lucian citizenship and passport, from becoming part of the global community to creating businesses around the island that will empower local citizens.
Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) is relatively new and is sought out to be in demand by investors worldwide. CIP offers investors the opportunity to obtain citizenship by contributing a minimum investment of US$100,000.
Investors can submit their minimum contribution of US$100,000 through the National Economic Fund (NEF) investment option. All funds are used for developing Saint Lucia’s local facilities and infrastructure. There are due diligence and processing applicable per applicant.
The National Action Bonds (NAB) is a relatively new investment option that was established on 1 January 2023. It is non-interest-bearing Government bonds, the contribution amount is US$300,000 which includes dependants, should the eligible applicant wish to add dependants. There is an administration fee of US$50,000 required per applicant to process their application.
The Real Estate Investment Option requires a minimum investment of US$200,000 towards Government-approved property. There are additional due diligence and processing fees.
