Embassy of Saint Lucia - Washington, DC

08/07/2024

08/06/2024

08/06/2024

What a come back JuJu… congratulations on your 2nd historic medal for Saint Lucia. 22.08s for 🥈 at the Olympic Games.

08/06/2024

BOOK OF CONDOLENCE IN HONOUR OF DR. JOSEPH EDSEL EDMUNDS
Former Ambassador of Saint Lucia to the United States of America, and
Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States

On the occasion of the passing of Dr. Joseph Edmunds, former Ambassador of Saint Lucia to the United States of America and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, a Book of Condolence will open in his honour at the Embassy of Saint Lucia located at 1629 K Street, NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC, 20006, from Friday, August 9, 2024 to Friday, August 16, 2024, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

08/05/2024

Saint Lucia's Olympic Gold Medalist Julien Alfred competes in the Women's 200m Semi Finals today August 5th at 2:45 p.m. Be sure to tune in!
As she progresses to the finals on August 6th at 3: 40 p.m. channel the vibes from your homes and business establishments. Host, record and post your very own watch parties and tag us!!!! Ministry of Youth Development and Sports - Saint Lucia
Let us show the world how we support and celebrate our own!
#🇫🇷paris2024

#🇱🇨champion
🏃🏾‍♀️💨

08/03/2024

Julien Alfred - Saint Lucia | 10.72

What more is there to say?

08/03/2024

Congratulations Julien Alfred on advancing to the finals of the Women’s 100m of the 2024 Summer Olympics with a time of 10.84s.

We are so proud of you and your achievements thus far! We will be here cheering you on in the finals at 3:20 PM

All the best Julien 🇱🇨

08/02/2024

Julien Alfred made her Olympic debut on Friday morning in Paris, easily winning her women's 100m heat.

08/01/2024

07/30/2024

NATIONAL ADDRESS BY HONOURABLE PHILIP J. PIERRE, PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER FOR FINANCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND YOUTH ECONOMY AND MINISTER FOR JUSTICE AND NATIONAL SECURITY ON THE OCCASION OF THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF HIS GOVERNMENT BEING ELECTED TO OFFICE
JULY 26, 2024
CASTRIES, SAINT LUCIA.
ENTRUSTED IN US
Fellow Saint Lucians, nearly 90,000 of you went to the polls three years ago and a majority gave the Saint Lucia Labour Party a mandate to lead this country for five years. On this 3rd anniversary, I want to thank you once again for the confidence you placed in my colleagues and I. The mandate you entrusted in us was to put people first in the decisions made for this country. Every day for over 1,000 days, we have strived to do this in Parliament, in Cabinet, in our constituencies, in our departments, when representing your interest both at home and abroad. As a party, we remain committed to delivering governance that is based on values, ethics and standards in public life. On the night of July 26th 2021, we knew even during the jubilation, that the challenges ahead would be great, and one might even say daunting. We have governed with compassion and a desire to unite our country once again. I invited two independent MPs to join my Cabinet to show that as a country, we can work together despite political differences.We did not engage in any reprisal or vengeance in Government or the Public Service, as some Administrations unfortunately engage in. We have embraced all Saint Lucians who mean well and want our country to progress. We have demonstrated confidence in our judiciary by making the Caribbean Court of Justice as our final Appellant Court. I hope that by governing with compassion, with meritocracy, with humility, we can set the tone and example for the country as whole, in particular our youth.
OUR CHILDREN
I want you to be sure and certain that your Government cares for you and the wellbeing of your children. We have placed an emphasis on our youth, our future, their hopes and dreams and futures. We have already been seeing out youth turn their hobbies into entrepreneurship and their skills into business through the results our Youth Economy. Young people can have hope that they can approach their Government and get a hand up to get their business and dreams to become realities. We have already helped hundreds of youth-led start-ups – and sure some will fail – but they will get up and try and try again knowing that we’ve got their back. We have topped up education assistance to parents with millions spent over the past two years assisting parents in purchasing books, uniforms, and school supplies. We continued an earlier Labour Party initiative providing every form one student with a $500 bursary. The parents of over 24,000 school children no longer have to worry about facilities fees, as your Government pays that now. Our fifth formers writing CXC English and Math have those fees covered by your Government. Not only does every secondary school child now have a laptop – that’s 11,700 laptops – but over 5,000 homes now benefit from cheaper internet access at just $20 per month, and we’ve distributed over 1200 MIFI devices as well.
And we do this because we believe in the transformative power of education, the power of access to knowledge. We improved the learning environment by investing over $22 million in the repair of the school plants. We also know the importance of starting learning at an early age. Each dollar we spend in early childhood education gives back to the society twenty-fold later on. In this year’s Budget we began providing grants to all Early Childhood Centres. We also added 9 new state-of-the-art Pre-K classrooms in primary schools to better use the extra capacity in those facilities. We are placing an emphasis on skills with thousands of placements for free skills courses. We have expanded access to higher education scholarships. We introduced a 1st Generation Scholarship programme and will be rolling out special assistance to university students to meet their expenses. Teachers have gained additional allowance support and some principals now have assistants once again.
YOUR HEALTH, YOUR HOME
Health is wealth and we are making great strides in providing better care and prevention. Universal Health Coverage is already benefitting seniors as well as expecting mothers and children. Over 1200 mothers have already received free check-ups and lab work. Enhanced services are available at wellness clinics for persons with diabetes and hypertension. Enhanced cervical cancer prevention and screening is also being rolled out. Construction work on St Jude Hospital will be completed thanks to a $200 million loan from the Saudi Government, which will also reinstate the George Odlum National Stadium once St Jude is commissioned. We are not yet where we need to be with health and social care but we are making great strides. Your Government has reintroduced the Distress Fund to provide relief to households who’ve lost everything from fires. We have spent over $10 million in housing repairs in every constituency. Your Government has provided relief in the removal of VAT on construction materials like cement, lumber, and roofing materials. We are making sure that our CIP monies go into funding housing projects that will provide affordable housing for hundreds of Saint Lucians. Your Government also continued the amnesty on residential property tax and ensured that mortgages under $400,000 are waived of paying stamp duties. Contractors earning $10,000 or less will pay no income tax on these earnings. And if you are a public servant you can benefit from a $20 million home financing facility soon to be rolled out at the Saint Lucia Development Bank. Our efforts at food security continue through initiatives like the Farm Labour Support Programme so that our farmers can be more productive. We are providing fishers with rebates on fuel, installing more FADS so they can catch fish with more ease, we are redeveloping the Choiseul Fishing Port, we constructed a new Micoud Jetty, we are providing farmers with fertilizers (thanks to the Government of Morrocco), we supported NFTO with over $4 million to support the farmers, we provided farmers with water tanks, we’re supporting honey, sea moss, cocoa and mushroom production. We are helping farmers and fishers to put food on our tables.
YOUR POCKETS
And in your pockets, your Government understands the impact that the world has been struggling with that have caused increase prices to rise called inflation. Despite all the challenges, we provided thousands with a $1500 grant to help those impacted during COVID to get back on their feet. We continue to roll out a $10 million MSME loan programme that is helping businesses and entrepreneurs grow and innovate. Our Tourism is at record levels, our country continues to be in high demand internationally. Our Tourism has been buoyed by new cultural and sporting events such as the return of the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival. We record participation in Saint Lucia Carnival to reach the highest levels and the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup has been a tremendous success.Your Government has not forgotten pensioners we provided them with $500 and $600 one-off grants. We raised government pensions to a minimum of $725.00 for government pensioners and we are increasing NIC pensioners to a minimum of $500.00. Your Government ensured that all taxpayers earning $25,000 or less will pay no income tax. Next week, we will also introduce a minimum wage for Saint Lucia. Today, more people are better off. We have seen continuous economic growth over the past three years. We’ve seen increased investment in both the public and private sectors. We are investing in upgrading our highways, bridges and roads. We are seeing significant investment in retail plazas and malls, hotel resorts and restaurants. We have attracted over $1 billion in FDI, which will be rolled out in the coming years.
YOUR SAFETY
The challenges and threats to governance still exist, including threats to our security. As a country, we all must continue to play our part in fighting crime. Your Government is investing in the police, in CCTV cameras, in new police stations, in police equipment, in new courthouses, in a hall of justice, but we all must play our part in being our brother and sister’s keeper, in keeping Saint Lucia clean, green and safe.
BE THANKFUL
My fellow Saint Lucians, these are but a few of the initiatives we have already achieved. And by God’s grace, there still more to come! We have a lot to be thankful for, and a lot to be proud about as a country. That is shown by our athletes at the Olympics today, in our footballers in the semi-pro league, in our hard-working people, and in our students performing commendably at home and abroad. Your Government will put you the people first in its every decision. We won’t turn our backs on you.
We are here for you.
We thank you for your support.
We ask that you continue to hold us to account, and we will continue to proudly serve you.
Our future is bright together.
God bless Saint Lucia, God Bless our families.
I thank You

07/29/2024

Join us on Sunday, August 18th... We invite all cricketers to participate in a fun event!

07/29/2024

# Team Saint Lucia 🇱🇨 All the best!

07/29/2024

Permanent Council Statement on the Passing of

AMBASSADOR DR. JOSEPH EDSEL EDMUNDS

Former Ambassador of Saint Lucia to the United States of America, Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States and Permanent Representative to the United Nations

July 24, 2024

Chair, it is with much sadness that my delegation informs of the passing of Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edsel “Eddie” Edmunds on July 21, 2024. He was Saint Lucia’s first Ambassador to the United States of America, serving in that post from 1984 to 1997. During this tenure, he also served as the first Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia to the Organization of American States, and from 1984 to 1989, served as Saint Lucia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Ambassador Dr. Edmunds was given the distinct responsibility of establishing Saint Lucia’s Embassy in Washington D.C. and its Permanent Mission to the OAS. He was a former Dean of the Caribbean Diplomatic Corps and former Vice-Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Dr. Joseph Edmunds was a distinguished son of the Saint Lucian soil, born on July 1, 1935. He obtained his early education in Saint Lucia at the Roman Catholic Boys Primary School, from where he went on to secondary school at the St. Mary’s College. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture at the University of Puerto Rico, a Master of Science degree in Plant Pathology from Cornell University and a PhD in Nematology from the same institution.

Prior to embarking on what would eventually become a highly distinguished career in the diplomatic service, he made an outstanding contribution to the agricultural sector in Saint Lucia and the wider Caribbean region. As a Research Fellow at the St. Agustine Campus of the University of the West Indies in Trinidad & Tobago, he contributed to both the study and practice of Nematology, specializing in nematode control in citrus nurseries and plantations.

At the Windward Islands Banana Grower’s Association, he investigated damage to bananas by nematodes, helping to stave off this devastating pest and hence saving the industry tens of millions of dollars in damage and loss. He was responsible for conducting the first comprehensive survey of nematodes affecting crops, and his ground breaking work on this and other similar interventions remain relevant to this day. No doubt, these efforts would have played a key role in his appointment as Director of the Research and Development Centre for the banana industry.

Ambassador Dr. Edmunds was also an educator, an artist, a poet and an author. Indeed, he authored a book of ninety-nine poems entitled “Many Horizons’ and his book, The Triangle of Success, published in 2006. Additionally, his poems have been published in many books and Caribbean Anthologies. As an artist, his paintings have been exhibited in galleries and institutions in North America and the Caribbean.

Over a long and distinguished career, Ambassador Dr. Edmunds was the recipient of many awards. Among these are: Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), awarded by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Second, for his contribution to science; the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award for International Service; the nematode, Longidorus edmunsi, was named in his honor for his contribution to Nematology; and the Bernado O'Higings award – the Grand Cross - from The Government of Chile for fostering Caribbean and Latin American relations. He has also been recognized by the Caribbean Council of Science and Technology as an Icon in Science, Technology and Innovation.

Chair, Excellencies, Saint Lucia has, over the years, produced many distinguished sons and daughters. Surely, it is our full expectation that many more will emerge in the years, decades and even centuries to come. But when the scribers of history have etched in permanent form, tributes to our heroes and heroines, the name of Joseph Edsel Edmunds will occupy a deserving place among the pantheon of outstanding citizens of our fair Helen, for his contribution to the development of Saint Lucia and the Caribbean. May his rich legacy of selflessness, service and sacrifice live on.

On behalf of the Government and people of Saint Lucia, The Embassy of the Saint Lucia to the United States of America and Permanent Mission of Saint Lucia to the OAS, I wish to extend profound condolences to his wife, children, close relatives and friends. May he rest in peace.

The Permanent Mission of Saint Lucia is currently working with the Department of Protocol at the OAS to open of a book of condolences at the main building of the OAS. Further details will be circulated in the coming days.

Thank you.

07/10/2024

In other news!!

06/18/2024

Robinson Smiles and Hope Foundation held its 9th annual 'Caribbean in White' party on Saturday, June 15th to raise funds for Saint Lucia.

06/01/2024

Friendly Cricket Match between CARICOM and British Embassies

Join us in celebration of T20 World Cricket 2024 on Sunday June 2, 2024 from 1:00PM, at Glassmanor Elementary School [1011 Marcy Ave, Oxon Hill, MD 20745]

Make sure you catch this event

05/15/2024

Due to the impending inclement weather this Saturday, we have made the decision to postpone the fish fry. New date .. Saturday, June 1st

04/30/2024

Come join us for an exciting afternoon on the water! An unforgettable experience filled with music, dancing, and good vibes
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lucian-spirit-boatride-tickets-894038321687

03/17/2024

03/04/2024

03/02/2024

Congratulations to Julien Alfred on winning the 60m sprint at the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2024! 🇱🇨🇱🇨

02/29/2024

The 2024 1st Virtual Diaspora Engagement Forum will take place tonight on February 29, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. (SLU time)
Please Register using the below link:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUucO6hrDMrHNwWDzs4RFQPmbo7UgNxKF53 #/registration