 The annual observance of Caribbean Wellness Day kicked off on Friday 8th September at the Constitution Park, with a grand ceremony attended by various delegates. The ceremony was held through a collaboration between the Ministry of Health, Wellness, and elderly affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Rural Development, and the Taiwan Technical Mission. The 2023 observance of Caribbean Wellness Day is being observed under the theme of power through collective action. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Jenny Daniel, in her delivery highlighted the importance of collective action in sustaining a healthy nation. We continue to partner with key public and private sector agencies, institutions, and community groups and organizations in order to make some progress along the journey to wellness. The Ministry has also recognized that it is a difficult task to get the population moving in a manner that is long-lasting and sustainable and that the contributions of our partners, key partners, are essential to this process and the achievement of this goal. Ms. Daniel Futhur added that the Ministry acknowledges a further need to continue exploring policy options, get towards achieving more of its objectives. In order to achieve the foregoing, the Ministry of Health has recognized the need to develop more specifically the wellness portfolio within the Ministry in order to develop smart objectives and implementation plans that will incorporate more effectively and sustainably the varied activities, projects, programs that are currently being implemented. Agriculture Minister Alfred Prosper also took the opportunity to zone in on the importance of collaboration for a healthier nation. He says St. Lucia has long shared relations with Taiwan, which has resulted in an improved agricultural sector. The Ministry of Agriculture, we acknowledge the fact that no ministry can work in solitude to achieve a holistic goal and thus having healthy food options for the feeding program is one way of facilitating good nutrition. It is imperative that we get physical activity on a daily basis and in our culture this can be done through gardening, farming and improve mental health contributing to a well-rounded individual. The 2023 Caribbean Wellness Day Commemoration Ceremony also included a farmers' market component where healthy and wholesome foods were on display throughout the day. Taiwanese Ambassador His Excellency Peter Chen-Yen was very pleased with yet another successful collaboration. Taiwan and St. Lucia enjoy very good partnership in terms of health, including combating COVID-19, arranging medical personnel to have training in Taiwan, especially just recently we launched a metabolic chronic disease prevention project. For that, I would like to express my gratitude to our Minister of Health, Moses Jean-Baptiste and all the colleagues from Ministry of Health for your efforts to make that a successful cooperation. Entertainment for the event was provided by members of the Youth Ambassador Delegation consisting of musicians, fitness fanatics and cooks. The official St. Lucia Moves Ambassadors, Calypsoenians, the Mighty Dre and Leonid Pierre also graced the stage with musical renditions. The Ministry of Health, Wellness and LLE Affairs, I'm Saint Justin.