UNESCO hopes to provide an opportunity to voice small islands

PRESENTER: People in the small island states of the world having a tough time getting their voices heard on the international stage and they want to be heard. With this mind the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization will launch in April a pilot project, which will give people from small islands an opportunity to voice their opinions on environment and development issues. The islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis have been chosen to represent the Caribbean. Gail Bindley-Taylor Sainte spoke with that country's Prime Minister Denzil Douglas about the significance of this project to his people.

NARR: The pilot project is called "Small Islands' Voice 2004." It hopes to provide an opportunity to get a sense of local perspectives on environment and development matters though community initiated activities supported by radio, television and print media. The Internet will also be used to hold debates on these issues with larger audiences, and in particular to solicit the views of young islanders on these same concerns. Prime Minister Denzil Douglas of Saint Kitts and Nevis thinks this is very important UNESCO-sponsored initiative for the people of the islands.

CUT 1 "I see this as a very important development in the quest of having small island developing states find their voice in the global community especially in matters of development and the environment. I believe that this initiative will allow us to access the print media, internationally the radio, the television, the electronic media generally. Thus bringing the voice and the perspective of the young ordinary citizen of small islands to issues that deal with development and environment from a global perspective." NARR: The Prime Minister says as the people of Saint Kitts and Nevis and other eastern Caribbean countries begin to move away from agriculture into the services sector, tourism in particular, they need to be involved in assessing how best they can preserve their environment.

CUT 2 "Our people have to become more and more involved in preserving the country, in knowing that if we are going to pursue tourism development then its beaches have to be kept, its verges, its rain forest, its people, their culture, the products that they have crafted in expressing their culture. These have to be sustained and encouraged in some way. And we believe therefore that this particular initiative that is organized by UNESCO will bring out all of these in our people. And I believe that when this would have come to an end, after two years there would be tremendous benefits for us in Saint Kitts and Nevis in the future."

NARR: Prime Minister Denzil Douglas of Saint Kitts and Nevis. For UN Today, I am Gail B-T Sainte.

SOURCE: United Nations Radio, 24 January 2002