Statement by The Honourable Patrice Nisbett Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis at the General Debate of the 69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

It is indeed an honour for me to address this august body for the first time, since assuming the portfolio of Minister of Foreign Affairs a little over one year ago. I take pleasure, Mr. President,
in sharing the perspectives of the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis on matters before this sixty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Allow me, Mr. President, to start by congratulating you on your election to the office of President of the General Assembly to steer the course of this 69th Session. Indeed, your sterling contribution to your native Uganda, where you served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and your efforts at strengthening the African Union, serve to prepare you for the challenging task of finalising the development of the post 2015 development agenda.
My delegation wishes to commend your predecessor, Mr. John Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda for his leadership in presiding over the 68th Session of the General Assembly. His focus on the development of the  ustainable development goals, and other issues of importance to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and developing countries in particular is worthy of high commendation.
The theme of this sixty-ninth session of the UN General Assembly "Delivering on and Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda" is quite timely as we enter a new dispensation which reflects global priorities which were not contemplated at the time the MDGs were conceptualised leading up to the year 2000.
As we work on implementing the post-2015 development agenda, we must ensure that the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals recently formulated are effective in building on the foundation laid by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It is my delegation's hope that the agenda as developed will be transformative in nature, with a high degree of success in the eradication of poverty and hunger, and romotion of sustained and inclusive economic growth as   its overarching objectives.