 Welcome to NTN Nightly, I am Genelle Norville, this edition's top story. The Caribbean's Credit Rating Agency carry Chris Assign Saint Lucia a stable financial outlook for 2021. COVID-19 protocols have been finalized for the general election and the National Commission for UNESCO Celebrates for TA. The Caribbean's Credit Rating Agency, Caribbean Information and Credit Rating Services Limited, carry Chris, has reaffirmed the assigned ratings of BBB on its regional rating scale to the several debt programs of the Government of Saint Lucia. These ratings indicate that the level of credit worthiness of these debt obligations a judge in relation to other debt obligations in the Caribbean is adequate. Carry Chris has also maintained a stable outlook on the ratings. In a statement, carry Chris indicated that its stable outlook is premised on the expectation of strong construction activity and the partial recovery in tourism in 2021 and that debt to GDP would not bridge the current rating categories limit. The agency further indicated that debt to GDP would plateau with borrowings for the Heronora International Airport's redevelopment but with thereafter decline as COVID-19's negative fiscal impacts begin to taper off. GDP improvements lead to better fiscal performance and fiscal consolidation towards achievement of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union's debt to GDP target of 60% by 2035 is pursued. Carry Chris says the ratings on Saint Lucia continue to reflect the island's sound financial sector despite COVID-19 challenges, broad-based economic activity and moderate GDP strengthening expected in coming years. The British High Commissioner designated for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean has committed to strengthening bilateral ties between Saint Lucia and Britain. He presented letters of introduction to the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia on Wednesday and was also scheduled to present said letters to the Director-General of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States, OECS. The British High Commissioner designated for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean was officially appointed in April 2021. Details in this report. The British High Commissioner designated for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean on Wednesday presented letters of introduction to Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, the Honourable Alan Shaw-Snee. The Prime Minister highlighted that the opportunity exists for a renewed relationship and the strengthening of ties between Saint Lucia and the British. Honourable Shaw-Snee indicated that he has worked with the British High Commissioner in the past on issues affecting small island developing states, seeds such as climate change. As such, he is confident that the British High Commissioner is well versed on issues confronting seeds and is ready for the task at hand. So I'm very excited to have you here with the level of experience that you have. And I know that you're very familiar with the issues that we're confronting. And more importantly, we were just having a discussion this morning. We really want to strengthen the relationship with the United Kingdom, particularly now that Brexit is done. We can all move forward at a greater pace. We have two very important meetings taking place this fall. COP is going to be taking place in the UK. And I'm looking forward to working with you on that because one of the roles I have is the lead Prime Minister on conservation in the Caribbean, the Caracom. And I think that this is a very important and meaningful COP meeting. We've not seen the kind of progress that we've wanted since the Paris meeting. And I think that there's an opportunity to go back and with the United States coming back into the forum. We're really hoping that we can now make some significant strides in that regard. The British High Commissioner Designate for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean explain that it is an honour serving in this capacity. The connections between our two countries are strong. They're historic. There are links between our people, between our businesses. Our governments have a partnership, a genuine partnership and friendship which matters to both of us. But of course the last year has been a very difficult one for everyone, for this region in particular. It's exposed so many of the vulnerabilities that this region faces, that small island states face around the world. And that gives us an opportunity I think to look again at some of the basic assumptions upon which we build our relationships and think about how we can do things better, how we can do more, how we can try not just to return to what we had before but to build something much, much better. So I look forward very much to working with the government on all of this. We have of course here our resident British commissioner and her team, Leslie Sonerson is new here herself but that means we have this permanent presence here in St Lucia which means day in, day out we can be looking for ways to strengthen our partnership and I look forward to playing my part in that as well. The British High Commissioner Designate for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean on Wednesday 30th June 2021 presented letters of introduction to Prime Minister of St Lucia the Honourable Alan Sharsney. Fishers, fish vendors, fish processors and fishermen's cooperatives from all over St Lucia came together to celebrate Caribbean Fisherfolk Day. And it's here Antoine report. Caribbean Fisherfolk Day also known as Fishermen's Feast commemorates the Feast of St Peter, the patron saint of fishermen with the theme Better Care for a Better Share establishing a creative small scale fishing sector. On this day, Fisherfolk across the board are highlighted for their hard work and dedication to the fishing industry. The festivities for Fishermen's Feast included a church service, a blessing of boats and a prize-giving ceremony for the Fishermen's Feast fishing competition. Registrar of cooperatives and friends societies Egbert Stevens says that the Fisherfolk are at the heart of the industry playing a critical role in the sustainable utilization of fisheries resources in the face of a changing global climatic and economic situation. Well, the Fishermen's Feast is really an opportunity for the different Fishermen's Cooperatives and for society to understand and appreciate the value of our fishermen to give them some recognition for the hard work they're doing and the place in society how they are contributing to that. Normally, Fishermen's Feast is the start of a church service. It's centered around the Feast of St Peter and St Paul who are Fishermen from the Bible and what it really does is allow the Fishermen to come out and express themselves in society that we are here, we are working, we are working in an interesting society and please respect us and appreciate us. While the quantity and demand for fish and fish products continue to rise, both fishing and aquaculture provide a substantial source of food, employment and revenue. Secretary of the castries, Fishermen's Cooperatives Society Board Diane Matrae explains that whilst COVID may have taken a toll on the fishing industry, it is still of great importance to come out and reflect on the changing global state of fisheries resources, the economic climate and environmental conditions within which our fishers operate. We need to be united as one body, come under one body. It's not the board that will make things happen for them. It's not the workers at the co-operative that will make things happen for them. They need to come and let us embrace each other so that things will work better for us in the future. But I am wishing them, wherever they are today, not only castries and balance bay, but the entire island with good Fishermen's peace and whatever they do, just do it in a friendship manner. Ms Matrae reiterated the Fishermen's Cooperatives commitment to working alongside the Department of Fisheries and its associate agencies to empower fisherfolk and build their resilience. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. Registered political parties are among stakeholders that have agreed to specify COVID-19 protocols that will guide campaigning ahead of the nation's impending general election. The Royal St. Lucia Police Force made the announcement on Tuesday, 29 June 2021, listing the requirements of the political parties prior and during the campaign period, including constituency office meetings, voter education, door-to-door campaigning, matches and processions, kids and public meetings. All campaign activities and events must comply with COVID-19 prevention and control protocols as directed by the Ministry of Health. One small constituency office meetings, planning meetings, not advised, not public, and there is no limit on the number of meetings. Two, in-person public constituency meetings. There is no limit on the number of meetings. All meetings will require the prior approval of the police. Three, national public political meetings or rallies. No national public meeting or rally will be permitted during the campaign to reduce the risk of infection associated with major mass crowd gatherings. Four, island-wide national motorcades. Island-wide national motorcades will only be permitted on a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday. Each party will be permitted one island-wide motorcade per week. Permission will be granted for constituency whistle stops. Five, constituency motorcades, only within the constituency. One, each poor party or independent candidate poor constituency per week. Recognizing numerous potential risk of COVID-19 transmission during the campaign period, Commissioner of Police Milton Daisy says the authorities drafted the protocols and consulted stakeholders, including the political parties. We realize the need to come together and set protocols for those various meetings. Yesterday, the 28th of June, we had a meeting with the main political parties and also some other members of the Green Party. At that meeting, we discussed and it was a healthy discussion and I must say I was very pleased with the result and had agreed on certain terms, especially the CMO stressing the need for persons to comply with COVID protocols. We agreed and the parties themselves agreed that there would be for every event, you would have a team to ensure that they would be reminding persons of the protocol, have the necessary hand sanitizers and so on. Probably in the open, you need to have types running and running water, so to say so that persons could frequently wash their hands the wearing of mask was stressed. We believe and in fact the persons who were in attendance agreed that they would do all in their powers to ensure that persons adhere to the various protocols. The COVID-19 protocols for campaigning 2021 took effect Tuesday 29 June 2021 and is subject to constant review by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. The National Commission for UNESCO has announced the winner for its logo competition in observance of its 40th anniversary in 2021. Chris Satney has more in this report. On Tuesday February 2nd 2021 the National Commission for UNESCO observed the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the St. Lucia National Commission following St. Lucia's membership to the United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO shortly after its independence in 1979. Later this year in December, the Commission will celebrate the 40th anniversary of St. Lucia's membership to the International Organization for the Francophonie. Secretary General of the National Commission Marcia Simforian announced the winner of the logo competition and unveiled the winning piece at a small ceremony held at the unit's offices recently. I would like to announce the winner of the National Commission's 40th anniversary logo competition. Congratulations to Mr. Neil John. Mr. John receives a trophy which features his logo inscribed there on as well as a monetary award of a thousand EC dollars. The National Commission is a semi-autonomous agency under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development. The key role of the organization is to facilitate intergovernmental cooperation to support national development initiatives. Ms. Simforian says over the past 40 years, the National Commission has made a tremendous contribution to St. Lucia's development agenda by facilitating international cooperation and bilateral collaboration in UNESCO's fields of competence, education, culture, science and information and communication. The Commission is pleased to have collaborated with national, regional and international partners on several initiatives over the years. The attainment of World Heritage status, the inscription of Sir Arthur Lewis' papers on the International Memory of the World Register, the inscription of the Wadric Walcott Collection on the original memory of the World Register, the establishment of the Wadric Walcott Collection at the UE Open Campus, the global celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir William Arthur Lewis by UNESCO, the establishment of the Sufra Community Radio Sufra FM under the international program for the development of communications. While thanking the Commission for the opportunity provided by holding the competition, the 40th anniversary logo winner and budding graphic designer has encouraged other young people like himself to start up training in graphic design. To the website, I went to the UNESCO website and I saw a few of their styles. They are the world, they are the globe, the world in the background. So I wanted to incorporate that in the logo as you could see. There's a solution map in the back of the 40 years. So I just wanted to make it unique and basically speak out to the organization and I just want to let everybody know, all the youth know that you could always start. I mean if you want to do graphic designing or whatever, there's no time period for it, you could always start, you could always push yourself. The National Commission for UNESCO has also been instrumental in the provision of support in the areas of policy development for the St. Lucia Cultural Policy, the St. Lucia TVED Policy and the St. Lucia National Language Policy. The Commission is of the view that this milestone anniversary will provide an opportunity to reflect on these and many other accomplishments while positioning the organization to embrace new possibilities to adapt to changing modalities and new realities. From the communications unit of the Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development, I am Chris Sackney reporting. The observance of International Day Against Drug Abuse and illicit trafficking commonly known as World Drug Day occurs annually on June 26. This year, the observance brings into focus a collaboration between the Substance Abuse Advisory Council Secretariat and the Parole and Probation Department of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force. The entities sharing a common purpose have joined forces for the past four years to facilitate the Break Free Through Drug Education program. The program facilitates the rehabilitation of drug offenders. We are going to share a reason probation officer with the RSLTF. We go as far back as 2011 and for the past four years we've had this collaboration and Mr. Caleb has been very integral in that and we've had, for the past three years, 61 persons who participated in the program and I noted we've had about six females actually our program last year we had our last program last year and we had six females who participated in that program. The six week initiative features presentations aimed at educating participants on the areas of general and reproductive health, self-esteem and family life. Program Officer and the Secretariat Caleb Paul says the goal is to ensure the participants holistic development. We definitely see the lives being changed because of the information that they receive, men and women and I believe as the program goes on we would have a couple of them giving their testimony as to how they were able to make that change. It's not a treatment program so it's just about sharing the information and getting men to realize that there is help there, a lot of them do not know where they can find the help so we take them from that denial stage and usher them to a stage where they contemplate that you know I need to do a change in my life and these people can help me. The Break Free Through Drug Education program aligns with the theme for World Drug Day 2021 share facts on drugs save lives. Fiona says the absence of sufficient information often leads to poor choices by the participants of the program. This is why the approach taken during this program is effective. I believe you know if they're educated enough you know I know about the drugs I know the risk involved in using the drug then I can make a more informed decision so educating them on the use of the drug is very important you know at least moving forward they know if I decide to continue with using drugs then I know what I'm doing especially to when you look at the dangers of mixing your drug. Shalry says the positive feedback obtained by the participants of the program propel the administrators to continue to work towards enhancing lives. This is Ntia Knightley up next primers Hutchinson with the Ntia Nouvelle Aquaeol. With all that's happening around us simple adjustments are necessary to keep us all safe. When calling 9-1-1 we may need a little more information to deploy the right personnel and protocols. You may be asked about your travel history, signs and symptoms, contact and movement history and whether others in your household are getting similar symptoms. Please be patient and cooperative during this time to ensure you receive the best possible care while keeping our first responders safe. Welcome back we join primers Hutchinson for the Ntia Nouvelle Aquaeol. An observance jeunet des affaires service drogue consult QSGOSAB or add WC a conseiller public la concerné abisement drogue par les dix démarches qu'a fait au lieu de la terre pour decriminaliser operations ex service mario Déclarations are due in your discussion on Ntia Nouvelle Si les officiers consult la drogue mario non capacitaire pour affecter les plus jeunes en l'âge d'isa en mouta plus jeunes QSGOSAB a conseiller M. Kaleb Paul a gestation de façon pour decriminaliser mario Ntia pour faire ce qu'il y a pour établir l'agislation pour protéger les jeunes que j'a fait pour s'exprimer mais Paul explique que pour les jeunes même si c'est assez la loi pour decriminaliser mario il n'y a pas d'availables à publicement tout le monde servit à particuler pour le lieu aussi consult la capointe démarche pour aider et conseiller les jeunes pour assurer l'aïe au lieu de la drogue mario il n'y a pas d'availables pour faire des décisions pour servir drogue mais Paul conseille les jeunes pour quelles distances il y a mario officier d'affaires consult la j'ai découvert un peu de gêne car c'est un situation ça peut détruire mais car détruire complètement et c'est un situation de décision pour faire ce qu'il faut pour protéger les jeunes pour faire des décisions pour protéger les jeunes pour faire des décisions pour protéger les jeunes pour faire des décisions pour protéger les jeunes pour protéger les jeunes pour protéger les jeunes pour protéger It's a decision that opens up a business where it's easy to eat and breathe after that, and it opens up more easily. It's a decision made by the head of the Executive Association, Nirani Aziz, who has complimented us on the appreciation for all these Greek people who are in the discussion chain, and the association has given us this charge, Aziz said that it's an opportunity for the private sector to do more work after the end of the economic period. It's also a relief that the family is doing so much to get the job done. The Association Hotel and Hotelistic has also welcomed us to promote the tourist attraction, which is a focus of the Madelinef Amadje de Milveté. The Association has applauded us for the best tourist attraction that has cost us a lot of money. that's a celebrity millennium industry, two stickler, capote, Puesca, Catoz, Mill job at Pesia, Mill lot, Moon, Catovae, Benefice, Port Sector Salah. Moon keeper, the Catoz idea, kind of who visited B.O. Electoral to be situational Salah Oigle, Assistant Chef at B.O. Electoral, said to see Madam, explain to her, that mainly for those who have a whole large, the most important, the need for the best assistant to do that is possible. Moon keeper, the Catoz idea, kind of who visited B.O. Electoral, and the Catoz idea, kind of who visited B.O. Oigle, with the declaration, that I just had to do a job at B.O. Electoral, with the Port Sector Salah Oigle, with the $5 that I had to pay for the office. With the $500 that I had to pay for the house, I had to pay for the replacement, the house. With the $70 that I had to pay for the place, and I had to pay for the house, because I was the head of the government, the chief of B.O. Electoral, I had to pay for the house. I had to pay for the situation. With the $1 that I had to pay for the place, I had to pay for the police, I had to pay for the reports. With the $1 that I had to pay for the house, I had to pay for the replacement, the house. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. This is the assistant chief of the Electoral Department, Madame L.M. Thilainel, who is here with us today. Thank you so much for watching. Thank you for your invitation. Thank you again. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.