ILO renews engagement with Saint Kitts and Nevis on decent work priorities

BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts and Nevis (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) joined national stakeholders in Basseterre from 21 to 24 April 2026, in a series of engagements that reaffirmed the ILO’s technical support for national priorities for advancing decent work in the country. The twin-island federation became an ILO Member State in 1996 and has since ratified ten ILO Conventions, including all eight fundamental Conventions - a foundation on which both sides agreed there is more to build.

On 21 April, at the invitation of the St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board, Joni Musabayana, Director of the ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, and Kagisanyo Kelobang, ILO Social Protection Analyst participated in a national stakeholder conference on social security reform. The ILO officials contributed to high-level panel discussions on regional and global good practices and lessons for strengthening social security; and that examined the practical implications of reform for national stakeholders.

In the following days, the ILO team benefitted from a series of engagements with key government officials, employers’ and workers’ organisations. Minister of Labour, Marsha Tamika Henderson, in the meeting with the ILO Director and team, tabled as immediate priorities action to modernize the Labour Code and revitalize the National Tripartite Committee (NTC) - the principal forum for consultation between government, workers, and employers. The Ministry also expressed interest in the ratification of several ILO Conventions.

The issues of effective tripartite dialogue and legislative reform, also emerged as common priorities across separate discussions with representatives of the St. Kitts and Nevis Trades and Labour Union and with the St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Talks with the TVET Council brought a further challenge into focus: a widening gap between technical and vocational training and the skills the labour market actually needs. Officials also raised the need for stronger policy frameworks to manage labour migration - a shared concern across the Caribbean region.

The mission reaffirmed the ILO’s role as a partner and opened fresh spaces for ILO’s technical support and advisory to Saint Kitts and Nevis across social protection, labour market governance, and workforce development. It also marked an important step in renewing cooperation with the full range of national constituents- government, employers’ and workers’ organizations, around a shared agenda for decent work.