Nevis, West Indies. ?A Non-Tourist-Trap? Blog About Nevis.

Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States Flag

Basseterre, St. Kitts
May 16, 2012 (SKNIS)

Final preparations are underway for the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis to host the 22nd Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Ministers of Education Meeting under the theme “Contributing to a Deeper, Stronger, Economic Union”.

The meeting will be held from May 22 to 24 at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort. The opening ceremony, which is opened to the public, will be held on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

The occasion will provide the opportunity for policy makers to engage in constructive dialogue on substantive policy issues regarding education development in the OECS; agree on policies and strategies to advance OECS education; secure the support and collaboration of regional agencies and development partners in advancing the education development agenda; as well as share innovative ideas and experiences that have contributed to educational development at the national level.

The OECS was established on June 18, 1981 on the signing of the Treaty of Basseterre, in St. Kitts. Seven countries signed the treaty in 1981. They are Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Virgin Islands joined the OECS as an associate member on November 22, 1984. Anguilla joined in 1995 increasing the membership to nine countries.

The OECS Ministers of Education meeting is held annually and is rotated amongst the OECS member countries.

Related posts:

1. Nevis Ready For OECS Environmental Ministers Meeting
2. St. Kitts – Nevis To Host RSS Council Of Ministers Meeting
3. St. Kitts – Nevis To Host OECS Economic Union Treaty signing
4. Antigua To Host OECS Regional Assembly Meeting
5. St. Kitts – Nevis PM To Attend OECS Meeting In St. Lucia

The OECS Flag

Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
April 02, 2012 (CUOPM)

Plans to host the inaugural session of the OECS Regional Assembly in Antigua on June 15 are moving into high gear.

According to news from St. John’s, the Antigua capital, that’s when OECS heads of government are expected to convene the inaugural session of the OECS Assembly on a date close to the anniversary of the signing of the Revised Treaty of Basseterre which established the OECS Economic Union.

The regional assembly is one of the new organs established under the Revised Treaty, and will provide a forum to debate issues affecting the sub-region.

The OECS Assembly will comprise both Government and Opposition representatives from each member state, in numbers that reflect their proportionate representation in their respective Parliaments.

Related posts:

1. St. Kitts – Nevis To Host OECS Economic Union Treaty signing
2. New Structure For Sub-Regional Grouping Approved By OECS Heads
3. OECS Leaders To Discuss Important Issues At Meeting
4. OECS Leaders Sign New Treaty Establishing Economic Union
5. Premier Parry To Attend OECS Heads Meeting

OECS Flag

Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
August 20, 2011 (SKNIS)

In order to facilitate the operations of OECS Free Movement member-countries who have not already enacted the Basseterre Treaty into Domestic Law can provisionally apply the administrative procedures.

Senior Programme Officer of the Regional Integration Unit of the OECS Lisa Louis Philip informed the St. Kitts and Nevis Information Service that St. Vincent and the Grenadines as well as St. Lucia have already completed the enactment process.

“Once that [Revised Treaty of Basseterre] is enacted into domestic law, there will now be the legal basis for which implementation of the administrative procedures can be done,” Ms. Philip explained. “However, in lieu of that, it can be provisionally applied and that is what member states are dealing with now.”

According to Ms. Philip, Antigua and Barbuda are in the late stages of the process leading to enactment.  She added that the remaining three independent member states of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica and Grenada have indicated that their provisional applications are soon to be in place.

The provisional application is possible by means of a directive from the appropriate Minister or Prime Minister.  This directive allows the senior officers in the implementing agency to inform their staff to take certain measures.  The implementing agency in this case is the immigration department.

According to the organisation’s official website www.oecs.org, OECS citizens traveling within the Economic Union should enter the special immigration lines designated for CARICOM Nationals.  They should then present the immigration officer with a valid photo identification card that bears the nationality of the holder, for example, a passport, driver’s license, voter’s registration card or a national ID card, along with a completed entry/departure form.

The immigration official should then be able to grant entry for an indefinite period, save and except in those circumstances where the citizen poses a security risk or there exists some other legal basis for prohibiting entry to the citizen.

Related posts:

1. St. Kitts – Nevis Nationals Encouraged To Be Open To Free Movement
2. St. Kitts – Nevis To Host OECS Economic Union Treaty signing
3. OECS Nationals To Benefit From Agreement With Spain
4. Nevis Premier To Attend OECS Meeting
5. Nevis Premier To Attend OECS Meeting