By Nelson A. King
The new Grenada Ambassador
to the United States and
the Organization of American
States (OAS), says the Dr. Keith
Mitchell administration in Grenada
is taking the lead, forging
ahead, and creating a path for
the sustainable development of
her country.
“It does so by promoting
resilience building as a major
priority area,” said Ambassador
Yolande Y. Smith in addressing
the group, Grenadians United in
Virginia, Inc., at its 24th annual
fundraising gala, on Saturday,
April 27, at the Sheraton Hotel,
Virginia Beach.
“The focus of the government
is to build resilience across all
sectors in an effort to transform
our economy: agricultural
sector, tourism sector, education,
health, services, even fiscal
resilience — getting our
financial house in order, so
that we can save for the proverbial
rainy day; infrastructural
resilience (bridge repair, building
sea defenses, managing our
sewer (waste water management
plants), so that, when a disaster
strikes, the damage is minimal,”
she added.
“Because we have no control
over when a natural disaster
might strike and the fury with
which it will strike, we have to
be prepared to deal with the
effects of these disasters,” Smith
continued. “Grenada is, therefore,
taking a proactive stance
on climate change with assistance
from the IMF (International
Monetary Fund), World
Bank, Green Climate Fund and
the Global Environmental Facility,
just to name a few of our IFI
(international financial institutions)
partners and donors.”
The envoy disclosed that Grenada
has just secured additional
funding at the IMF/World Bank
Group Spring Meeting held in
April in Washington, DC.
She said Grenada was one of
the countries featured as a best
practice, and one of the very few
with climate smart legislation.
Dominica was the other Caribbean
country highlighted at the
meetings, Smith said.
On education, she told
patrons that much is being done
on reform “to make sure that
For the past 4 years, we have been servicing
the community with dignity and compassion.
We look forward to the future providing
the same excellent service.
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there is a technical and vocational
component in our curriculum.
“We have realized that we
can no longer focus only on the
academics, as we have traditionally
done,” Smith said. “If we
continue to do so, we end up
marginalizing a large number
of our young people – those who
are passionate about textiles,
mechanics, ICT (Information
and Communications Technologies),
industrial arts, technical
drawing and so on.”
Even in acknowledging the
value of a sound academic education,
“we must also acknowledge
that not all our boys and
girls have the aptitude or passion
for the pure academics,”
she added. “So apart from building
in this component into the
curriculum, work is currently
being done to retrofit a facility
in St. Patrick’s for this specific
purpose,” she continued.
Apart from the Grenada
Embassy’s mandate as the office
accredited to the United States
— the White House — which
deals with bilateral issues — and
the Organization of American
Grenada’s Ambassador to the US, Yolande Y. Smith addresses
Grenadians and friends at the 24th Annual Spring
Gala of Grenadians United in Virginia (GUIVA) on April 27,
2019 at the Sheraton Hotel in Virginia Beach, VA.
Dalton Dale Nixon
States (OAS), which deals with
multilateral issues — Smith
said her office has “an obligation
to our nationals in the Diaspora
community.”
She said she takes that obligation
“very seriously,” stating
that organizations like Grenadians
United in Virginia, Inc.,
“play a pivotal role in bringing
members together under common
themes, goals and missions,
and guiding them to the
Embassy in the process.
“Let the Embassy be the glue
that connects what you are doing
here in the US with the needs
back home,” Smith urged.
Grenadian envoy says government
taking lead in sustainable growth
Serving the Community with Dignity
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