Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: Prime Minister and Minister of Health and National Security of St Kitts and Nevis – Dr Terrance Drew, is set to attend the regional symposium on ‘violence’ in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, 16 April 2023. He will be joining the CARICOM (The Caribbean Community and Common Market) heads and spokespersons from Latin America and the United States of America.
The symposium will focus on the issues of ‘public health’ and ‘violence’, to be particular. As per the updates, the event will be hosted at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, from 9 am to 4 pm on April 17-18, 2023.
As per the information from the Prime Minister’s Office, the event will be held under the concept of “none of us is safe until all of us is safe.” The government of Trinidad and Tobago is all set to host the conference welcoming representatives from all the Caribbean regions. The event will focus on the pressing issues of increasing crime and its adverse impacts on the public health system.
In addition, the discussion will be held following the forty-fourth (44th) Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government in Nassau, Bahamas, in February 2023.
During the symposium, several pressing issues will be discussed, such as violence and crime, along with their direct connection with public health challenges, along with the problems it causes in a number of other areas, such as youth, education, mental health and best practices.
Prime Minister of the twin island federation, Dr Terrance Drew, is currently serving in the Quasi-Cabinet of CARICOM. He is responsible for the practices in the Department of Human Resource Development, along with HIV/AIDS and Health, as the Minister of Health. He will be addressing the representatives regarding the issues.
Meanwhile, PM Drew is accompanied by his small delegation, including the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Security, Ms Cecile Hull, the Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ms Naeemah Hazelle, Adviser to the Ministry of Health, Dr Patrick Martin and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Sharon Archibald.
During the event, it was further said that a consultant psychiatrist in St Kitts and Nevis and a specialist in public health, Dr Izben C. Wiliams, MD MPH DM-Psych, will deliver a virtual keynote address at the discussions on the topics of crime prevention and promoting the culture of non-violence.
Furthermore, as an Ambassador to the United States and former spokesperson of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Williams has researched and written on this topic to a great extent.
Notably, he serves as a professor and Head of the Behavioural Sciences and Medical Ethics Department at the University of Windsor in St Kitts. He also helps in the capacity of Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Development. Dr Williams has also founded St Kitts and Nevis Chess Federation and serves as the organisation’s president.
