Overview                                                          

Saint Kitts and Nevis (also known as the Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis) is 101 square miles with a population of 53,104 persons. Basseterre is the capital located on the larger island of St. Kitts, and Charlestown is the capital of the smaller island of Nevis, which is located 2 miles away, across a shallow channel called The Narrows. Booby Island, a bird nesting site lies between the two islands.

The country gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1983 but still recognises Queen Elizabeth II as its Head of State. The Queen is represented in the country by the Governor-General, who acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

Main Initiatives                                               

UNDP’s work in St. Kitts and Nevis is primarily related to climate change adaptation and citizen security. To advance climate change adaptation, UNDP works with the Ministry of Agriculture through the Department of Environment, the Department of Marine Resources, the Department of Economic Affairs, the Department of Physical Planning and Environment, the St. Christopher National Trust and the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society to implement the Conserving Biodiversity project. This project contributes to the expansion of the existing Protected Area (PA) system through the establishment of two new terrestrial PAs and three new marine PAs and also implements measures to reduce habitat degradation, which is adversely impacting the ecological integrity of PA buffer sites.

UNDP will also be providing pivotal support in Sargassum management, with the financial assistance of the Government of Japan.

With a similar focus on climate change adaptation, the Global Environmental Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) which has been operational in St. Kitts and Nevis since 2013,  is also working to protect the environment through various activities that support global environmental benefits. The key areas are coastal preservation, sustainable use of natural resources, renewable energy, environmental sustainability and sustainable livelihoods.

Citizen security is of utmost importance to the government of St. Kitts and Nevis and as such the country is one of the beneficiaries of the CariSECURE project.  UNDP also assisted St. Kitts and Nevis COVID-19 emergency response through the provision of PPE and the country benefits from the eFUTURE Programme. 

Additionally, UNDP is technically and financially supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within ten countries and territories that are directly or indirectly linked to the tourism sector or have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, through the Future Tourism project.   With gender equality and empowerment of women at its core, the project seeks to promote economic diversification, job creation and resilience with the “Blue Economy for Green Islands” approach in the tourism sector thereby boosting recovery and supporting the digitally enabled transformation of the business processes and value chains of MSMEs.

UNDP also provided support to the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis for the digitalisation of their National Heroes Monument. This monument commemorates the country’s independence as a sovereign state and represents the identity of Saint Kitts and Nevis through the recognition of their five national heroes. Thanks to the contribution of UNDP, the National Heroes Monument has a digital wing fully equipped to provide an interactive experience where visitors can learn about Saint Kitts and Nevis's recent history through the life and work of their national heroes.

For more information on St. Kitts and Nevis, please view the Human Development Report Briefing Note for this country.

Did you know?

St. Kitts and Nevis is the smallest country in the Americas in both land area and population!

Contact Us

To contact us, you can write to registry.bb@undp.org