Saint Kitts and Nevis 2020 Human Right Report

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Saint Kitts and Nevis 2020 Human Right Report SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS 2020 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Saint Kitts and Nevis is a multiparty parliamentary democracy and federation. The prime minister is the head of government. The United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state, represented by a governor general. The constitution provides the smaller island of Nevis considerable powers of self-governance under a premier. In national elections on June 5, Team Unity, a coalition of three political parties, won nine of the 11 elected seats in the legislature. Team Unity leader Timothy Harris was reselected prime minister for a second term. A Caribbean Community observation mission assessed that “the voters were able to cast their ballots without intimidation or fear and that the results of the 5 June 2020 General Elections reflect the will of the people of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.” The security forces consist of a police force, which includes the paramilitary Special Services Unit, a drug unit, the Special Victims Unit, the Office of Professional Standards, and a white-collar crimes unit. These forces are responsible for internal security, including migration and border enforcement. In addition there is a coast guard and a small defense force. The military and police report to the Ministry of National Security, which is under the prime minister’s jurisdiction. Civilian authorities maintained effective control over the security forces. There were no reports that members of the security forces committed abuses. Significant human rights issues included criminalization of same-sex sexual conduct between men, although the law was not enforced during the year. The government had effective mechanisms to investigate and punish officials who abused human rights. There were no reports of prosecutions or arrests of government officials for human rights violations. Section 1. Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom from: a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and Other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings There were no reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings. SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS 2 b. Disappearance There were no reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities. c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment The constitution prohibits such practices, and there were no reports that government officials employed them. Impunity was not a significant problem in the security forces. Prison and Detention Center Conditions The prison was slightly overcrowded, and facilities were austere. Physical Conditions: The country has two prisons with a total capacity of 160 inmates. The total prison population on St. Kitts was 180 in September, including pretrial detainees who were confined with convicted prisoners. Most prisoners had beds, although some slept on blankets on the floor. Inmates between ages 16 and 21 were held with adult prisoners. Administration: Authorities generally investigated credible allegations of mistreatment. Independent Monitoring: Authorities generally permitted prison visits by independent human rights observers, although there were no known visits during the year. Improvements: During the year authorities repainted and renovated some cells and installed new air-conditioning units. Barracks were constructed for staff. d. Arbitrary Arrest or Detention The constitution prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention and provides for the right of any person to challenge the lawfulness of his or her arrest or detention in court. The government generally observed these requirements. Arrest Procedures and Treatment of Detainees Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2020 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS 3 Police may arrest a person without a warrant, based on the suspicion of criminal activity. The law requires that detained persons be charged within 72 hours or be released. If detainees are charged, authorities must bring them before a court within 72 hours of detention. There was a functioning bail system. Detainees have prompt access to a lawyer of their choice or to a lawyer provided by the state. The government provides free defense counsel to indigent defendants only in capital cases. There is a private legal-aid program to provide legal assistance to indigent defendants. Authorities permitted family members, attorneys, and clergy to visit prisoners once per month and to visit those in pretrial confinement once per week. Authorities remand persons accused of serious offenses to custody to await trial. They release those accused of minor infractions on their own recognizance or on bail with sureties. Pretrial Detention: Pretrial detainees were 30 percent of the prison population. The length of time a person was held in pretrial detention varied. The government did not report on the average length of pretrial detention. Nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives, however, reported pretrial detentions of six to nine months for High Court (serious offenses) cases, while noting that the Magistrate Court (for less serious cases) remained backlogged for years. e. Denial of Fair Public Trial The constitution provides for an independent judiciary, and the government generally respected judicial independence and impartiality. Trial Procedures The constitution provides for the right to a fair and public trial, and an independent judiciary generally enforced this right. There is a presumption of innocence. Defendants have the right to be informed promptly and in detail of the charges and to have a fair and public trial without undue delay. Defendants have the right to be present at their trial and to consult an attorney of their choice in a timely manner. Defendants have adequate time to prepare a defense. Defendants have free access to an interpreter. Defendants may question or confront witnesses and present their own witnesses and evidence. Defendants may not be compelled to testify or confess guilt, and they have a right to appeal. Political Prisoners and Detainees Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2020 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS 4 There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees. Civil Judicial Procedures and Remedies There is an independent and impartial judiciary for civil matters. Individuals or organizations may seek civil remedies for human rights violations through domestic courts and the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal. f. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence The constitution prohibits such actions, and there were no reports the government failed to respect these prohibitions. Section 2. Respect for Civil Liberties, Including: a. Freedom of Expression, Including for the Press The constitution provides for freedom of expression, including for the press, and the government generally respected this right. An independent press, an effective judicial system, and a functioning democratic political system combined to promote freedom of expression, including for the press. Freedom of Press and Media, Including Online Media: In May the opposition St. Kitts and Nevis Labor Party (SKNLP) filed an injunction against the government- owned media house, ZIZ Broadcasting Corporation, claiming ZIZ gave an unfair advantage to the political parties in the government. The SKNLP later withdrew its injunction following a public commitment by ZIZ to provide balanced election coverage. Internet Freedom The government did not restrict or disrupt access to the internet or censor online content, and there were no credible reports that the government monitored private online communications without appropriate legal authority. Academic Freedom and Cultural Events There were no government restrictions on academic freedom or cultural events. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2020 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor SAINT KITTS AND NEVIS 5 b. Freedoms of Peaceful Assembly and Association The constitution provides for the freedoms of peaceful assembly and association, and the government generally respected these rights. Civil servants are restricted from participating in protests. c. Freedom of Religion See the Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report at https://www.state.gov/religiousfreedomreport/. d. Freedom of Movement The law provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, and repatriation, and the government generally respected these rights. e. Status and Treatment of Internally Displaced Persons Not applicable. f. Protection of Refugees Information on the government’s cooperation with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees was unavailable. Access to Asylum: While the law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status, the government has not established a system for providing protection to refugees. There were no requests for asylum reported during the year. Section 3. Freedom to Participate in the Political Process The constitution provides citizens the ability to choose their government in free and fair periodic elections held by secret ballot and based on universal and equal suffrage. Voters elect 11 members of the National Assembly, and the governor general appoints a three-person senate: two on the recommendation of the prime minister and one on the recommendation of the opposition leader. Elections and Political Participation Country
Recommended publications
  • Highlights of ILO's Work in the Caribbean
    INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION Subregional Office for the Caribbean HIGHLIGHTS of ILO’S Work in the Caribbean May 2007 - March 2010 Highlights of ILO’s work in the Caribbean May 2007 to March 2010 Highlights of the ILO’s work in the Caribbean – May 2007 - March 2010 ii Highlights of the ILO’s work in the Caribbean – May 2007 - March 2010 TABLE OF CONTENTS Overview 1 Areas of Work 5 Technical Support and Advisory Services 5 Training 10 Policy Coherence and External Partnerships 15 Donor- and ILO-Funded Technical Cooperation 16 Research, Publications and Public Information 21 The Way Forward 23 iii Highlights of the ILO’s work in the Caribbean – May 2007 - March 2010 iv Highlights of the ILO’s work in the Caribbean – May 2007 - March 2010 1. Overview The International Labour Organization's goal of promoting opportunities for women and men to obtain full and productive employment in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity, provided the framework for the support given by the International Labour Organization’s Subregional Office for the Caribbean to its constituents in the Caribbean during the period May 2007 to March 2010. The Subregional Office, which celebrated its 40th Anniversary of service to the Caribbean subregion in 2009, is working with the tripartite constituents in the Caribbean to draw up and DECENT WORK AGENDA FOR GROWTH implement Decent Work Country WITH EQUITY Programmes (DWCP). These The Decent Work Agenda is a development Programmes are the mechanisms agenda which strives for economic growth with through which the ILO will equity through a coherent blend of social and collaborate with its constituents - economic goals.
    [Show full text]
  • Break-Out Session 3
    MANAGING A STATISTICAL ORGANISATION IN TIMES OF CHANGE CARIBBEAN 2019 Break-out session 3 Session 3: Discuss your national experience of securing quality of statistical information and improving data coherence through statistical analysis and analytical frameworks Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Guyana, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and Suriname, Turks and Caicos MANAGING A STATISTICAL ORGANISATION IN TIMES OF CHANGE CARIBBEAN 2019 Q1 Are there any mechanisms in place to secure the quality and coherence of official statistics and indicators? Please explain. • The system of National Accounts • The SUT • Introduction of CAPI and Surveys Solution which allows to build evaluation checks immediately • Internal Statistical Review Committee (Jamaica) to validate the trends in data • The CARICOM Quality Assurance Framework (CQAF) • The Code of Good Statistical Practice Group 3A MANAGING A STATISTICAL ORGANISATION IN TIMES OF CHANGE CARIBBEAN 2019 Q1 Are there any mechanisms in place to secure the quality and coherence of official statistics and indicators? Please explain. • Recommendation is to save data both onsite and offsite locations • However, countries raised the concern about the need of ICT Policy that speaks specifically about the protocols, data security, internal practises, data sharing protocols • Cloud technology about where the data is stored and in Bermuda case the data storage must be in a secure location • St. Kitts and Nevis (SKN): Most of the data are stored on desktop computers, Major data sets are stored on back-up on the Office’s server. Surveys and tourism data is stored using the cloud services Group 3B MANAGING A STATISTICAL ORGANISATION IN TIMES OF CHANGE CARIBBEAN 2019 Are there any mechanisms in place to secure the quality and coherence of official statistics and indicators? Please explain.
    [Show full text]
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis MIGRATION PROFILES
    Saint Kitts and Nevis MIGRATION PROFILES Part I. Global legal instruments related to international migration States parties to United Nations legal instruments Year ratified: Year ratified: - 1949 ILO Migration for Employment Convention 1990 1989 Conv. on the Rights of the Child 2002 1951 Refugee Convention - 1990 UN Migrant Workers Convention - 1967 Refugee Protocol 2004 2000 Human Trafficking Protocol - 1975 ILO Migrant Workers Convention 2004 2000 Migrant Smuggling Protocol Part II. Population indicators Population estimates 1990 2000 2010 2013 15 Males ('000) 20 23 26 27 10 Females ('000) 21 23 26 27 5 Total ('000) 41 46 52 54 0 Percentage urban population 35 33 32 32 Percentage rural population 65 67 68 68 -5 -10 -15 1985-90 1995-00 2005-10 2010-15 -20 Average annual rate of change -0.57 1.20 1.27 1.12 Annual rate of natural increase* 12.39 11.40 12.20 11.23 1985-90 1995-00 2005-10 2010-15 Crude net migration rate* -18.11 0.61 0.46 0.00 Annual rate of natural increase* Total net migration ('000) -4 0 0 0 * Per 1,000 population Crude net migration rate* Projected change in total population by component (x 1000) 12 10 2015-20 2025-30 2035-40 2045-50 Total population at end of period 58 63 66 67 8 Population change during period 3 2 1 1 6 Annual rate of natural increase* 9.73 6.64 4.12 1.84 Crude net migration rate* 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4 * Per 1,000 population 2 Projected change in working-age (15-64) population (x 1000) 0 2015-20 2025-30 2035-40 2045-50 2015-20 2025-30 2035-40 2045-50 Medium variant 2 1 0 -1 Annual rate of natural increase* Zero-migration variant 2 1 0 -1 Crude net migration rate* Difference 0 0 0 0 Part III.
    [Show full text]
  • The Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Young People in the Eastern Caribbean Area April 2020
    The socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on children and young people in the Eastern Caribbean Area April 2020 Jonathan Wood, Alexandru Nartea, Stephanie Bishop1 Context The new coronavirus is affecting the Eastern Caribbean care systems, have closed their borders, schools and Area (ECA)2 along with the rest of the world. As of 28 non-essential businesses, and established lockdowns April 2020, the number of confirmed cases from the in an effort to reduce the movement of the population virus had reached 333 and the reported deaths had and enforce social distancing to contain the spread of risen to 20 (figure 1). Similar to the other countries, the the virus. governments in the ECA are re-configuring their health Figure 1: Daily confirmed COVID-19 cases, Eastern Caribbean Area Source: UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean, April 2020. 1 Jonathan Wood, Data Analyst, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean. Alexandru Nartea, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean. Stephanie Bishop, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean. 2 The countries covered by this policy paper are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Note that data is not always available for every country. 1 The socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on children and young people in the Eastern Caribbean Area In consequence, for many people, interactions will be impact on the population, these measures will, inevitably, limited to members of their immediate family.
    [Show full text]
  • UK Overseas Territories
    INFORMATION PAPER United Kingdom Overseas Territories - Toponymic Information United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), also known as British Overseas Territories (BOTs), have constitutional and historical links with the United Kingdom, but do not form part of the United Kingdom itself. The Queen is the Head of State of all the UKOTs, and she is represented by a Governor or Commissioner (apart from the UK Sovereign Base Areas that are administered by MOD). Each Territory has its own Constitution, its own Government and its own local laws. The 14 territories are: Anguilla; Bermuda; British Antarctic Territory (BAT); British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT); British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Turks and Caicos Islands; UK Sovereign Base Areas. PCGN recommend the term ‘British Overseas Territory Capital’ for the administrative centres of UKOTs. Production of mapping over the UKOTs does not take place systematically in the UK. Maps produced by the relevant territory, preferably by official bodies such as the local government or tourism authority, should be used for current geographical names. National government websites could also be used as an additional reference. Additionally, FCDO and MOD briefing maps may be used as a source for names in UKOTs. See the FCDO White Paper for more information about the UKOTs. ANGUILLA The territory, situated in the Caribbean, consists of the main island of Anguilla plus some smaller, mostly uninhabited islands. It is separated from the island of Saint Martin (split between Saint-Martin (France) and Sint Maarten (Netherlands)), 17km to the south, by the Anguilla Channel.
    [Show full text]
  • ISO Country Codes
    COUNTRY SHORT NAME DESCRIPTION CODE AD Andorra Principality of Andorra AE United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates AF Afghanistan The Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan AG Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (includes Redonda Island) AI Anguilla Anguilla AL Albania Republic of Albania AM Armenia Republic of Armenia Netherlands Antilles (includes Bonaire, Curacao, AN Netherlands Antilles Saba, St. Eustatius, and Southern St. Martin) AO Angola Republic of Angola (includes Cabinda) AQ Antarctica Territory south of 60 degrees south latitude AR Argentina Argentine Republic America Samoa (principal island Tutuila and AS American Samoa includes Swain's Island) AT Austria Republic of Austria Australia (includes Lord Howe Island, Macquarie Islands, Ashmore Islands and Cartier Island, and Coral Sea Islands are Australian external AU Australia territories) AW Aruba Aruba AX Aland Islands Aland Islands AZ Azerbaijan Republic of Azerbaijan BA Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina BB Barbados Barbados BD Bangladesh People's Republic of Bangladesh BE Belgium Kingdom of Belgium BF Burkina Faso Burkina Faso BG Bulgaria Republic of Bulgaria BH Bahrain Kingdom of Bahrain BI Burundi Republic of Burundi BJ Benin Republic of Benin BL Saint Barthelemy Saint Barthelemy BM Bermuda Bermuda BN Brunei Darussalam Brunei Darussalam BO Bolivia Republic of Bolivia Federative Republic of Brazil (includes Fernando de Noronha Island, Martim Vaz Islands, and BR Brazil Trindade Island) BS Bahamas Commonwealth of the Bahamas BT Bhutan Kingdom of Bhutan
    [Show full text]
  • Automatic Exchange of Information: Status of Commitments
    As of 27 September 2021 AUTOMATIC EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION (AEOI): STATUS OF COMMITMENTS1 JURISDICTIONS UNDERTAKING FIRST EXCHANGES IN 2017 (49) Anguilla, Argentina, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus2, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Seychelles, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Kingdom JURISDICTIONS UNDERTAKING FIRST EXCHANGES BY 2018 (51) Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan3, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominica4, Greenland, Grenada, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Macau (China), Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Monaco, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue4, Pakistan3, Panama, Qatar, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sint Maarten4, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago4, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Vanuatu JURISDICTIONS UNDERTAKING FIRST EXCHANGES BY 2019 (2) Ghana3, Kuwait5 JURISDICTIONS UNDERTAKING FIRST EXCHANGES BY 2020 (3) Nigeria3, Oman5, Peru3 JURISDICTIONS UNDERTAKING FIRST EXCHANGES BY 2021 (3) Albania3, 7, Ecuador3, Kazakhstan6
    [Show full text]
  • St.Kitts and Nevis Table of Contents
    Second Citizenship. First Choice. St.Kitts and Nevis Table of Contents ABOUT KARIBI™ 1 WHY KARIBI™ 1 FAST FACTS 2 MOTHER ISLE OF THE WEST INDIES 3 WHY ST.KITTS AND NEVIS 4 ACCESS TO 55% OF THE WORLD 5 QUALIFYING CRITERIA 6 INVESTMENT OPTIONS 6 OTHER APPLICABLE FEES 7 GET STARTED TODAY 8 REQUIRED DOCUMENTS 9 HOW TO REACH US 10 ABOUT St.Kitts and Nevis KARIBI™ KARIBI is your trusted citizenship by investment partner. Helping individuals and families obtain their second passport. We operate in full compliance with government regulations, and take your needs into consideration whilst confidentiality providing you with a seamless and transparent process. Karibi's registered agents will provide free consultations, guiding WHY KARIBI™ Taking you through an almost effortless process leading to your sought after custom citizenship solution. EFFICIENT A seamless end-to-end experience, from the consulting phase to achieving the citizenship. Our operational model allows us to execute all the required processes in a timely manner. TRUSTED Our internationally accredited team has spent decades creating and maintaining long-lasting relationship with the government bodies. EXPERIENCED We have a reputation that is second to none with regards to citizenship by investment specialization. Our global network of partners utilize a tremendous amount of industry insight to overcome any obstacles that may occur. © 2017, Karibi | All Rights Reserved 1 FAST St.Kitts and Nevis FACTS St. Kitts Nevis Capital: Currency: Basseterre (St.Kitts) ans Charlestown (Nevis) East Caribbean Dollar Government: Area: Parliamentary Democracy under Constitutional Monarchy 176 km2 (St.Kitts) 93 km2 (Nevis) Official Language: English © 2017, Karibi | All Rights Reserved 2 MOTHER ISLE OF St.Kitts and Nevis THE WEST INDIES Idyllic St.
    [Show full text]
  • 00005-28-2010 ( Pdf )
    At The Pumps This Weekend Maximum Price ULG per gal 21/05/10 DELTA $14.27 SHELL $12.34 Year 53 NO. 01BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, W.I. FRIDAY, MAY 28TH, 2010 EC$2.00 TEXACO $12.46 Prime Minister Douglas Caribbean nations and congratulates the United States tackle crime and security have met jointly to define and new Trinidad and develop the goals and scope of the CBSI, which has been rationalised as a “multi-year, Tobago leader multi-faceted effort by the US Government and Caribbean BASSETERRE, ST. partners to develop a joint KITTS, MAY 27TH 2010 BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, regional citizen safety strategy (CUOPM) – St. Kitts and MAY 26TH 2010 (CUOPM) – Nevis has joined regional Caribbean nations and the and world leaders in United States began talks congratulating Trinidad and Thursday (yesterday) aimed at Tobago’s the Hon. Kamla forging a security cooperation arrangement to tackle criminal Persad-Bissessar on her and security threats to the Party’s victory at the polls region. and her assumption of the The Inaugural Caribbean- Office of Prime Minister of United States Security to tackle the full range of security the Republic of Trinidad and Cooperation Dialogue is taking and criminal threats to the Tobago. taking place in Washington D.C., Caribbean Basin.” “St. Kitts and Nevis joins USA. Discussions take place under in welcoming you as one of the The initiative is in keeping four broad priority areas namely: newly elected leaders of the with a commitment made by U.S. Substantially Reduce Illicit region. However, I have no President Hon.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix 1 Political Forms of the Caribbean Compiled by Yarimar Bonilla, Rutgers University
    Appendix 1 Political Forms of the Caribbean Compiled by Yarimar Bonilla, Rutgers University Jurisdiction Political Status and Important Historical Dates Monetary Unit * = on UN list of non-self- governing territories Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Seceded from the Aruba Netherlands Antilles in 1986 with plans for independence, but independence was Aruban florin (AFL) postponed indefinitely in 1994. Constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Former seat of the Antillean guilder N Curacao Netherlands Antilles central government. Became an autonomous country within (ANG) E the kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010. T Constituent Country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Part of the Windward H Sint Maarten Islands territory within the Netherland Antilles until 1983. Became an autonomous ANG E country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010. R L Special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Formerly part of the A Bonaire Netherlands Antilles. Became a special municipality within the Kingdom of the US dollar (USD) N Netherlands in 2010. D Special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Part of the Windward S Saba Islands territory within the Netherland Antilles until 1983. Became a special USD municipality within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010. Special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Part of the Windward Sint Eustatius Islands territory within the Netherland Antilles until 1983. Became a special USD municipality within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010 Overseas territory of the United Kingdom. Formerly part of the British Leeward Island colonial federation as the colony of Saint Cristopher-Nevis-Anguilla.
    [Show full text]
  • Nevis M OLDINGS H
    MORNING STAR HOLDINGS NEVIS Jurisdiction KEY FACTS HISTORY • Nevis was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage in 1493. Rich in both scenic beauty and history, it is one of the Lesser Antilles and was claimed by Spain but was not settled by Europeans until the English arrived in 1628. Nevis remained a British colony from 1628 until 1983, when it became independent and joined the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis. • Nevis is situated near the top of Lesser Antilles Archipelago, about 200 miles South of Puerto Rico and west of Antigua. • The population of Nevis is approximately 11,000 mostly of African origin. • English is the official language and the literacy rate is 96%, one of the highest in the Western Hemisphere. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT • No taxes are levied in Nevis on income earned outside of the jurisdiction by a Nevis company. • Financial returns need not be prepared or filed in Nevis. • Shareholders, directors, officers, managers and members can be of any nationality and reside anywhere. • No annual or other reports are required to be filed in the public records of Nevis. • Beneficial ownership information is confidential. • A company’s records and its principal office may be located anywhere. • A corporation formed in another jurisdiction may redomicile to Nevis. GOVERNMENT & LEGAL SYSTEM • The Federation of St Kitts and Nevis is an active member of the British Commonwealth and the United Nations. Nevis is a vigorous democracy based upon the British Parliamentary sys- tem with an elected local assembly. The largest expenditure by Government is for education. Combined with a low crime rate, full employment and lack of drug-related difficulties, Nevis is politically stable.
    [Show full text]
  • The Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Young People in the Eastern Caribbean Area April 2020 Jonathan Wood, Alexandru Nartea, Stephanie Bishop1
    The socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on children and young people in the Eastern Caribbean Area April 2020 Jonathan Wood, Alexandru Nartea, Stephanie Bishop1 Context The new coronavirus is affecting the Eastern Caribbean care systems, have closed their borders, schools and Area (ECA)2 along with the rest of the world. As of 28 non-essential businesses, and established lockdowns April 2020, the number of confirmed cases from the in an effort to reduce the movement of the population virus had reached 333 and the reported deaths had and enforce social distancing to contain the spread of risen to 20 (figure 1). Similar to the other countries, the the virus. governments in the ECA are re-configuring their health Figure 1: Daily confirmed COVID-19 cases, Eastern Caribbean Area Source: UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean, April 2020. 1 Jonathan Wood, Data Analyst, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean. Alexandru Nartea, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean. Stephanie Bishop, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, UNICEF Office for the Eastern Caribbean. 2 The countries covered by this policy paper are Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Note that data is not always available for every country. 1 The socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on children and young people in the Eastern Caribbean Area In consequence, for many people, interactions will be impact on the population, these measures will, inevitably, limited to members of their immediate family.
    [Show full text]