Harris, according to government officials has played a significant role in the country’s difficult journey through an IMF austerity program designed to reduce a high National Debt which was estimated to have climbed to as high as 3 Billion Dollars at one point.
While announcing Harris’ departure as Financial Secretary, Minister of Finance and Prime Minister, Dr. Denzil Douglas, expressed his administration’s appreciation, “for her dedicated service in steering the Ministry of Finance during these challenging times to (the) successful meeting of the targets set by the IMF throughout the arrangements.”
Douglas indicated that Mrs. Harris is to take up a post as an Alternate Governor at the Washington-based World Bank.
St. Kitts & Nevis as a small struggling nation under the weight of annual deficits and a National Debt that was claimed to be one of the world’s largest, will this week be sharing some of the lessons that have resulted from this unfortunate fiscal position.
According to a government release on Monday, Prime Minister Douglas has been invited to chair a CSVE Ministerial Meeting with the theme: “Emerging Debt Challenges of Commonwealth Small Vulnerable Economies” on Tuesday 9th October and make an intervention on “Exogenous Shocks – Dealing with the Only Certainty: Uncertainty” at the Commonwealth Finance Ministers Meeting on Wednesday 10th October.
The Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma, told the Prime Minister in his letter of invitation, that they would value his perspectives on how the current global architecture could be improved to help Commonwealth countries better manage their vulnerable to exogenous shocks and their impact.
“Shocks have become more frequent and more damaging; transcending economic, geographic and political boundaries. In an interdependent world these shocks and the uncertainty that underlie them are quickly amplified. For all Commonwealth countries building resilience and dealing with the discomfort of uncertainty will be a key issue now and in the years to come,” noted the Secretary General.
The meeting is being hosted in Tokyo, Japan.