Last Updated on February 4, 2021, 7:24 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Basseterre: St Kitts and Nevis’ Regional Integration and Diaspora Unit (RIDU), designed to lead the implementation of a series of initiatives related to the local integration movement and the diaspora, serves several purposes, said Lionel Sydney Osborne, Head of the RIDU, Ambassador to CARICOM, and OECS Commissioner.
The Unit for Regional Integration and Diaspora is a unit within the prime minister‘s office that bears the responsibility to lead the country’s mission for deeper integration into the OECD. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Diaspora.
‘We really act in a way that you would say as a post office so that the Ambassador or the Commissioner usually passes on the information that comes from the [CARICOM] Secretariat and the [OECS] Commission. And one of the things we have to do is make sure that the information reaches the relevant ministries, ”said H.E. Osborne during his appearance on ‘Working for You’ on Wednesday 3 February 2021 to discuss CARICOM issues.
Besides, Ambassador Osborne said the unit also “coordinates and manages a reporting system that covers all regional meetings,” as well as a source of information and dissemination”.
He noted that one of the objectives of the RIDU is to participate in a public awareness campaign so that persons can fully understand and appreciate the work of the unit.
“I think we want a program on the unit for the simple reason that it is not only regionally based in terms of the local diaspora, but that we also cover it worldwide. Such a thing is important so that one can understand how the RIDU itself is supposed to function,” said H.E. Osborne.
RIDU was officially established to prepare citizens and residents to seize the opportunities and challenges inherent in the integration process, given the changing conditions in the small island states in the Eastern Caribbean. Critical focal points include free movement of people by the OECS and CARICOM, free distribution of goods and services and closer political integration. It was also created to serve as a vehicle through which closer ties with the Kittite and Nevisian Diaspora could be facilitated.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
