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Does the VI Govt care about CARICOM?

-Virgin Islands Govt has not attended a Caribbean Community meeting in 5 years despite pouring money into the organization- 2012 Premier’s Office report!
The Virgin Islands (VI) is an Associate Member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) since 1991 and makes financial contributions as part of its membership. According to the Premier’s Office 2012 Report laid in the House of Assembly on July 25, 2013, the VI has not attended a Heads of Governments meeting in 5 years, however, no reasons were given. Despite this revealing fact, the report claims that CARICOM affiliation remains an important strategic relationship for the Territory. Image: caricom.com
Within the last 5 years there have been two men serving as Premier of the Virgin Islands (VI), Hon. Ralph T. O’Neal OBE (right) and current Premier, Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith. Both men were expected to attend the Heads of Governments meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) representing the VI but failed to do so for 5 years. This means that Hon. O’Neal missed 3 years and Hon. Smith 2. It is unclear why the VI Heads of Government did not attend the meetings as the Premier’s Office 2012 Annual Report did not give reasons, but admitted that the “Territory has lagged in its engagement of the conference of Heads of Governments.” Photo: VINO/File
Within the last 5 years there have been two men serving as Premier of the Virgin Islands (VI), Hon. Ralph T. O’Neal OBE (right) and current Premier, Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith. Both men were expected to attend the Heads of Governments meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) representing the VI but failed to do so for 5 years. This means that Hon. O’Neal missed 3 years and Hon. Smith 2. It is unclear why the VI Heads of Government did not attend the meetings as the Premier’s Office 2012 Annual Report did not give reasons, but admitted that the “Territory has lagged in its engagement of the conference of Heads of Governments.” Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- The Virgin Islands remains one of the most diverse places on earth with many Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) nationals, living, working and visiting our shores.

The Virgin Islands remains an Associate Member of CARICOM and, according to the Premier’s Office report of 2012 laid in the House of Assembly on July 25, 2013 by Premier and Minister of Regional Affairs Dr. the Honouable D. Orlando Smith, “this affiliation remains an important strategic relationship for the Territory”.

VI has not attended CARICOM meetings in 5 years

While the 2012 report claims that the Virgin Islands (VI) continues to benefit from the various initiatives and programmes of CARICOM, the 2012 Premier’s Office reported that “at the overall level, however, the Territory has lagged in its engagement of the organization to the level of the Heads of Governments”

According to the report, meetings of the Heads of Governments of the Caribbean Community are held two times per year, however, “the BVI has not been represented in this forum in the last five (5) years although the Territory continues to meet its financial obligations to the organization by making regular contributions.”

In other words, tax payers of the Virgin Islands pay their financial contributions but are not around the table being represented by government, both the previous and the current Administrations in order to influence decisions, have a voice and ensure that the VI gets value for money.

Over a million dollars combined to all overseas regional and international bodies

No reasons were given in the 2012 report as to the 5 year absence of the VI from the Heads of Governments CARICOM meetings.

According to the Budget Estimate of 2013, the money paid to all regional and international organizations is well over a million dollars although the budget has been redesigned to hide such cost.

Each Ministry, including the Deputy Governor’s Office and the House of Assembly, makes its own contributions to different regional and international organizations.

The financial contributions to overseas organizations are diverse from, the Caribbean Community, OECS, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Association of Public Prosecutors, Caribbean Ombudsman Association, Caribbean Centre for Development Administration, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency, Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, United Kingdom Overseas Territories and Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre, just to name a very few with the price tag of over a million dollars.

CARICOM, the organization in which the VI had not attended a Heads of Governments meeting in 5 years, has 15 members and 5 associate members.

The Caricom Member countries are Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia; St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago

The CARICOM Associate Members are Anguilla, Bermuda, [British] Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

6 Responses to “Does the VI Govt care about CARICOM?”

  • yellow (05/08/2013, 09:16) Like (7) Dislike (2) Reply
    Ha ha the same NDP who acting like they love island people when in fact they do not care about them at least the Caribbean ones that is why so many of them left for home!!!
  • PPA (05/08/2013, 11:24) Like (3) Dislike (1) Reply
    Notice both parties did not attend the meetings, more evidence the we need to rid the bvi of both VIP and ndp!
  • OPENMIC -Julio henry (05/08/2013, 11:35) Like (0) Dislike (12) Reply
    Read the report, NDP in power November 2011. The report was table in the house in 2012. The report said in five years we have not attend any meetings.. Five years before the report was table.
    • @ OPENMIC -Julio henry (05/08/2013, 13:38) Like (4) Dislike (0) Reply
      tis fool always paying both sides, the report was for 2012 the NDP got power in 2011 and did not attend the meeting in late Novermber or the two in 2012 fool so they miss about two years of meetings or did they attend any for this year 2013...Maybe you cannot read why your grammar is so bad!!!
  • Mango Monkey (05/08/2013, 17:05) Like (3) Dislike (1) Reply
    Get with the programme ppl the NDP only travels to the USA, UK and Europe...Too many black folks in Caricom!!!!!


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