Diplomatic Week 2016 - Ministry Of Foreign Affairs

KAYE M. BASSKaye Bass began her diplomatic career as a Foreign Service Officer in 2002, after having spent over10 years in the field of Education (at home and overseas) as a Spanish teacher. As a result of herinitiative, professionalism and competence she was soon promoted to Senior Foreign Service Officerand became the first Director of Foreign Affairs in 2012. She was appointed Permanent Secretary ofthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2015.In her current role as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Aviation, besidesher proficiency in the Spanish language, additional strengths come to the fore, including her abilityto motivate staff, to organize and to develop a good rapport with people with varied experiencesand from diverse cultural backgrounds. In addition to a Master’s Degree in Spanish and SecondLanguage Pedagogy (Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia) and a Postgraduate Diploma(PGDip) in Diplomacy and Information Technology from the University of Malta, Ms. Bass also holdsa Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and Secondary Education from the University of the Virgin Islands(St Thomas Campus) where she graduated Summa Cum Laude, and attained the highest GPA in theHumanities Division as well as amongst females of the entire University. Ms Bass was also one ofthe first graduates of the Summer Institute for Future Global Leaders in the Caribbean (now GlobalInstitute for Leadership and Management Development - GILMD).She has also earned certificates and diplomas in Diplomacy and International Relations from theRomero Institute, Mexico, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan and a Diploma in Trade Policy from theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Canberra, Australia. Ms. Bass has spearheaded multiple projectsin which the Ministry has engaged over the years including the compilation of the National Report onthe promotion and protection of human rights for the first and second cycles of the United NationsHuman Rights Council Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and their presentation in Geneva, Switzerland.She was also instrumental in the successful execution of past Diplomatic Weeks, Honorary ConsulsRetreat, and international and regional conferences (OAS, CARICOM, CDB, OECS) hosted in St Kittsand Nevis. She also managed the development of the Ministry’s first website including the country’sTreaty Index.For leisure, Ms. Bass enjoys the culinary arts and the outdoors (gardening and walking).Diplomatic Week 201610

SustainabilityThreats!Lack of food security, over-fishing, fragile ecosystem,Loss of bio-diversity, soil erosion, coastal squeeze, limit of land capacity,Green house gases, organic pollutants, global warming,Climate change, challenging islands of the sea.Headwinds!Money laundering, tax haven listing, correspondent banks losing,Lack of transparency, FINCEN Advisory, guns, violence, drug trade,Terrorists, illicit actors, ISIL, (DA’ESH), AML, CFT, CBI Screening Efficiency,Criminality, challenging islands of the sea.Opportunities!“Reduce, reuse, recycle waste.” Save paper rescue forests,Minimize pesticides, cut chemical additives, practice food security,Out with plastics, in with wind mills, geothermal and green energy,Building resilience in islands of the sea.Tailwinds!Good governance. Transparency, judicial reforms, fairness, equality,Eschew violence, build esteem, embrace benefits of technology,Public or private partnership, diaspora bonds and circles, working in harmony,Partnerships to sustain islands of the sea.Global Village!Interconnected, chain, inspirational, identical links, self-containment,Fellowship, common goals, aspirations, unified agenda, VILLAGE,Inter-dependent, integrity, networks enhancing the COMMUNITY,Forging partnerships for sustainability in islands of the sea.Creator Admonition!“Love Thy Neighbour As Thyself.”“If You Love Me, Keep My Commandments.”By Dr. Thelma Phillip-BrowneDiplomatic Week 201611

Headsof Missions:BiographiesDR. EVERSON W. HULL Ph.DDr. Everson Hull is a business economist and currentlyserves as Permanent Representative for St.Kitts andNevis to the 35-member Organization of AmericanStates (OAS). He graduated from Howard University ty’sPh.D. award in Economics. For more than 20 years,he served as Adjunct Professor in the Department ofEconomics. In the School of Business, Professor Hullearned the distinction of MBA “Professor of the Year”for four of the five years of his full-time tenure. In theprivate sector, he has served as Senior Economist forthe American Petroleum Institute, TRW Inc. and FannieMae. Dr. Hull also served at the Congressional ResearchService as Head of Money and Banking. This lattertour of duty led to a U.S. Presidential Appointment asDeputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Research atthe U.S. Department of Labor.Dodd-Frank financial legislation. He has also served asthe oversight regulator’s chief liaison on matters relatedto the Executive Compensation of Fannie Mae, FreddieMac and the 12 Federal Home Loan Banks. He has beencalled on to prepare written analyses and opinions onrecommended incentive-based salaries, bonuses andstock option awards for new executive hires.In his current assignment at the OAS, AmbassadorHull has been appointed to serve as the PrincipalRepresentative of St. Kitts and Nevis to the InterAmerican Drug Abuse Control Commission as well asAssistant National Coordinator for the Summit of theAmericas Process. He is fully engaged with his peers:in the development of a vigorous CARICOM responseto the “black-listing” of our low-tax jurisdictions, inthe exploration of new business opportunities in therapidly growing Central and South American countries,and in reconciling border disputes between OASmember states.Dr. Hull has allocated a significant portion of his timeto providing financial and economic consulting serviceson a wide range of issues. These include: econometricmodeling of the determinants of yield spreads betweenjumbo and conforming loans; developing estimatesof the potential effects of the Basel Accord on thecapital adequacy of U.S. commercial banks and usingeconometric models to simulate the effects of monetarypolicy on the U.S. economy.His extensive research includes over 60 publicationsand technical reports as well as regular contributions tothe local newspapers. Born in Nevis, Dr. Hull graduatedfrom the Charlestown Secondary School; taught atthe Combermere Primary School and represented theIsland of Nevis at cricket and football.At the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Dr. Hull hasserved as Member of the Federal Joint Interagency TaskForce implementing the sweeping provisions of theDr. Hull has three children -- Lovell, Randy and Cecelia.He is married to Dr. Sandra D. Cooke-Hull.Diplomatic Week 201612

DR. THELMA PHILLIP-BROWNEOne of eight siblings, Thelma Phillip-Browne was bornin Newtown, Basseterre St. Kitts. Following secondaryeducation at the Girls High School and BasseterreHigh School, in 1978 she graduated with a medicaldegree from the University of the West Indies (UWI)Mona, Jamaica. Dr. Phillip-Browne received trainingin Public Health at the John Hopkins University Schoolof Medicine and is also a graduate from the CardiffUniversity School of Medicine in Wales, with a Diplomain Dermatological Science.In 2011, Ambassador Phillip-Browne obtained a Masterof Theological Science (MTS) degree from AndersonUniversity in Indiana. She has served as a lay preacherand active member of the Women of the Church ofGod as well as being a partner of Child EvangelismFellowship (C.E.F.), St. Kitts and Nevis chapter. Hercommunity involvements also included hosting of amorning devotional program on a local radio station,WINN FM as well as co-hosting a “One Love” spirituallybased program on Sugar City Rock radio.Dr. Phillip-Browne served in various medical positions inSt. Kitts as a Civil Servant and in 1995 served as Directorof Primary Health Care and later Chief Medical Officerof the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis. From 1994 untilher recent appointment as Ambassador to the UnitedStates of America, she also practised dermatology in aprivate capacity.Besides being a social and political activist,Dr. Phillip-Browne is also a sports enthusiast.She represented St. Kitts in netball for many years andwas a member of the Caribbean Netball Association’sChampionship Team in 1973. She has also served invarious managerial positions on the St KittsNetball Association.Dr. Phillip-Browne is the proud mother of two daughtersand a son and grandmother of two girls.JUSTIN HAWLEYJustin Hawley is the St Kitts and Nevis Consul GeneralMr. Hawley was also a Research Fellow at the CARICOMOffice of Trade Negotiations, formerly the CaribbeanRegional Negotiating Machinery where he representedSt Kitts and Nevis at numerous trade negotiations.He recently concluded a 2 year posting as a Counsellor/Alternate Representative at the Embassy of St Kittsand Nevis to the USA/Permanent Mission to theOrganisation of American States (OAS). One year intohis tenure he was appointed Charge d’Affaires/InterimRepresentative to the OAS where he received the officialOAS report on the St Kitts and Nevis elections of 2015.in Dubai, UAE. With over 10 years experience in thecivil service, Mr Hawley joined the Ministry of ForeignAffairs in 2001 as a Foreign Service Officer. He has helda number of positions within the Federal Governmentsuch as Deputy Registrar of Intellectual Property andTrade Policy Officer. In 2006 he was appointed as aTrade Policy Analyst at the Organisation of EasternCaribbean States Technical Mission to the WTO inGeneva where he was involved in negotiations relatedto the Doha Development Agenda.Mr. Hawley holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in PoliticalScience from the University of Western Ontario and aMaster of Science in International Relations from theLondon School of Economics in theUnited Kingdom.Diplomatic Week 201613

JASMINE ELISE HUGGINS ESQ.H. E. Jasmine Elise Huggins, began her career in theForeign Service of St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevisfollowing her graduation from Howard UniversitySchool of Law in Washington D.C. In December 2007,Ambassador Huggins was tasked with establishing theEmbassy of St. Kitts and Nevis in the Republic of China(Taiwan) and after two years in her position as Chargéd’affaires, H. E. Jasmine Elise Huggins was appointedas Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary ofSt. Kitts and Nevis to the Republic of China (Taiwan). Inaddition to seeking trade, cultural and other economicbenefits for the Federation at her assigned post, HerExcellency inter alia, promotes and strengthens thebilateral relations between the Republic of China(Taiwan) and St. Kitts and Nevis.Her Excellency also facilitated technical cooperationand resource flows from the OAS to projects in theFederation, and successfully Chaired theWorking Groupof the Inter-American Council for Integral Developmentto revise the Manual and Rules of Procedure of the OASScholarship and Training Program.H.E. Ambassador Huggins has professional experienceand affiliation with the associations of The UnitedMethodist Lawyers Guild and Maryland State BarAssociation and has been a Judge of AmericanUniversity International Law Human Rights Moot CourtCompetition. H.E. Ambassador Huggins has also servedas Secretary-General of the Diplomatic Corps in theRepublic of China (Taiwan). Ambassador Huggins is anavid hiker and enjoys reading and engaging in artisticand cultural pursuits.Prior to the posting in Taiwan, Ambassador Hugginsserved her country in the Embassy and Permanentmission of St. Kitts and Nevis in Washington D.C.As Alternate Representative to the Organization ofAmerican States (OAS) and part of the CARICOMAlternates group, Ambassador Huggins was oftencalled upon to take the lead in negotiating InterAmerican declarations, conventions and resolutions inthe Councils and Committees of the OAS.VERNA MORRISVerna Morris is currently the Chargé d’affaires a.i. at theEmbassy of St. Kitts and Nevis in Havana, Cuba withthe substantive post of Counsellor. This new postingcomprises an important personal dimension for Ms.Morris, as Cuba is the country where she successfullycompleted her undergraduate degree in Philology atthe Universidad de Oriente, Santiago de Cuba.Before starting her career in the Foreign Service, Ms.Morris worked briefly at the St. Kitts-Nevis-AnguillaNational Bank Ltd., the then St. Christopher HeritageSociety and the St. Christopher and Nevis SocialSecurity Board.Ms. Morris joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs inBasseterre in 2005 and served as a Foreign ServiceOfficer with responsibility for the Latin Americandesk. Ms. Morris has represented St. Kitts and Nevis inmany regional and international fora, including OECS,CARICOM, CELAC, OAS and the UN. She participated in anumber of diplomatic exchange programmes in severalcountries including Taiwan, Mexico, Chile, Argentinaand Germany.She furthered her studies at the Diplomatic School ofSpain where she earned a Master’s degree in Diplomacyand International Relations. Ms. Morris’interests includepublic international law, protocol procedures, travel,foreign languages and development cooperation.Ms. Morris was born in 1978 on the island of St. Kittsto Ms. Alice Morris and Mr. Vernon Gittens. She wasnurtured in the community of Tabernacle where shecompleted her elementary education. Soon after, sheattended the Cayon High School then later graduatedfrom the Division of Arts, Sciences and General Studiesof the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College before moving onto university.Diplomatic Week 201614

DR. KEVIN M. ISAACHis Excellency Kevin M. Isaac is a career diplomatand a graduate of the University of Toulouse-Mirailin France, the University of the West Indies, theUniversity of Birmingham and University of Warwick.He holds a Bachelor’s degree in French and Spanish,a Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations, aMaster’s degree in Diplomacy and Statecraft, an LLM inInternational Economic Law. In 2012, he was awardedan Honorary Doctorate by the University of Birmingham.High Commissioner Isaac is also St. Kitts and NevisPermanent Representative to the International MaritimeOrganization (IMO) and its Governor to the Board of theCommonwealth Secretariat.St. Kitts Nevis Permanent Mission to the Organizationof American States both in Washington DC until 2005.In 2005, Dr Isaac joined the Hemispheric Organizationof American States (OAS) where he served as an Advisorin the Cabinet of the Assistant Secretary General. Hewas also named Coordinator for Country Offices. Hewas responsible for the management and oversightof OAS Country Offices in 28 of the Organization’s 34Member States and managed a staff of 84 and a budgettotalling US 7.65 million at the end of fiscal year 2010.As of January 2011, High Commissioner Isaac returnedto the St. Kitts Nevis Ministry of Foreign Affairs followinghis appointment as High Commissioner to the UnitedKingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. DrKevin M. Isaac is the youngest and first career diplomatof the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis to be elevated tothe rank of High Commissioner/Ambassador.High Commissioner Isaac joined the St. Kitts NevisMinistry of Foreign Affairs in 1992. He has been asubstantial resource to the Ministry of Foreign Affairsand has served broadly as a Foreign Service officer.Following a period of service in the Ministry of ForeignAffairs, His Excellency Dr Kevin M. Isaac served asDeputy Permanent Representative and Charged’Affaires ad interim for three and a half years at theSt. Kitts and Nevis Permanent Mission to the UnitedNations in New York (1995-1999). He later served asMinister Counsellor/Deputy Chief of Mission at the St.Kitts Nevis Embassy to the United States of America andas Minister Counsellor/Alternate Representative in theHe was named Diplomat of the Year for North Americaand the Caribbean in April 2015 at the DiplomatMagazine Annual Award presentation held in London.High Commissioner Isaac is also a published poet,(Whispers of Silence (1998); Memories in Serenade(2010) and his latest collection, “Breakfast with myFathers” published in July 2014. He is married toPrangtip Silpa-Archa Isaac and father of three,Preston, Kaden and Keira.SAM TERRANCE CONDORSam Terrance Condor graduated with a Diploma inDevelopment Studies from Ruskin College, Oxford anda BA (Hons) in Economics from the University of Sussexin Brighton.In addition to serving as Deputy Prime Minister ofSt.Kitts and Nevis between 1995 and 2013, he was alsothe Leader of Government Business in the NationalAssembly. During his eighteen year stint in Government,he held various portfolios: Minister for Foreign Affairs,Homeland Security, Labour and Social Security(2011 to 2013), Minister for Foreign Affairs, NationalSecurity, Labour, Social Security and Immigration(2010 to 2011); Minister for Education, Youth, SocialDevelopment, Community and Gender Affairs (2004to 2010); Minister for Labour, Social Security, CARICOMAffairs, Telecommunications and Technology (2001 to2004); Minister for Foreign Affairs, International Trade,CARICOM Affairs, Community and Social Developmentand Gender Affairs (2000 to 2001); and Minister forCARICOM Affairs, Youth, Sports and Community Affairs(1995 t0 2000).Appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary andPlenipotentiary and Permanent Representative ofSt. Kitts and Nevis to the United Nations in May 2015,he presented his credentials to Secretary GeneralBan Ki-moon on October 27, 2015 and since that timeserved as Chair of the Caucus of Ambassadors of theCaribbean Community (CARICOM) in New York as wellas of the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States(GRULAC).First elected as a Member of Parliament in 1989 hecontinued in this capacity in ensuing years following hissuccess at the polls in 1993, 1995, 2000, 2004 and 2010.Diplomatic Week 201615

SHIRLEY SKERRIT T-ANDREWH.E. Shirley Skerritt-Andrew a national of St. Kitts andNevis is currently the High Commissioner for St. Kittsand Nevis to Canada, based in Ottawa. An economistand historian by training she was educated at UWI CaveHill and Mona, and University College, London. HighCommissioner Skerritt-Andrew has had an extensivecareer in the public sector in both the Caribbean andthe United Kingdom. In addition to serving in her owncountry she has also worked as an economic plannerin Jamaica and in regional and local government in theUnited Kingdom.time in Brussels, High Commissioner Skerritt-Andrewserved as Chair of the ACP Committee of Ambassadorsand as the CARIFORUM chair of the working group thatproduced the Joint Caribbean-EU Strategy.High Commissioner Skerritt-Andrew who was formerlythe GEF Operational focal point for St. Kitts and Nevishas had a lifelong interest in environmental matters andhas devoted considerable time to alternative energyissues, including the ongoing exploration of potentialgeo-thermal energy development on St. Kitts and Nevisand the development of bio-fuels as a bi-product ofsugar cane. She has identified the environment andspecifically climate change as an important area forcooperation with Canada with green growth and greentechnological development as key areas for futurecollaborative investment by Canada and the Caribbeanregion as a whole.Th

Week 2016. This event is truly special to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and by extension, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis. Diplomatic week offers us the opportunity to maximise our engagement with our development partners and discuss matters of national, regional and global importance. This level of interaction will undoubtedly