The United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) has rated its visit to the Virgin Islands (VI) as successful. The C-24 delegation was in the VI from August 25 to 28, 2024. Photo: Office of the Premier

Premier Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) said he hopes the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation Report will contribute positively to the further internal dialogue among people of the VI as constitutional reform and the VI’s long-term political future are considered. Photo: GIS/File

The C-24 delegation was in the VI from August 25 to 28, 2024 to hear first-hand local views on the full decolonisation of the Territory, the state of the VI’s relationship with the United Kingdom (UK), and perspectives on the political future of the Territory.

Stakeholder meetings held

A press release said the C-24 delegation engaged a wide range of societal stakeholders at meetings on Tortola and Virgin Gorda, as well as Anegada and Jost van Dyke via virtual participation.

Meetings were also held with Governor Daniel Pruce, Premier Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), Cabinet and Junior Ministers, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Opposition Leader and Members, Cabinet Secretary and Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Statutory Boards and Constitutional Offices; and Members of the Constitutional Review Commission.

The members of the C-24 delegation included Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia to the United Nations H.E. (Chair of the C-24), Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations H. E. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Dr. Walton Aubrey Webson, Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations H.E. Chargé d'affaires Dr. Abbas Kadhom AlFatlawi, and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Papua New Guinea to the United Nations H.E. Fred Sarufa.

Decolonisation a matter exclusively for the people- UN Committee

The commission assured that their role during the visit was to listen to the views of the people on decolonisation and not to “seek to influence or steer the Territory in any particular political direction, emphasising that the VI’s political future and decolonisation timing was a matter exclusively for the people of the Territory.

The VI’s UN representative in Latin America and the Caribbean Mr E. Benito Wheatley said, “The engagement by local stakeholders with the C-24 delegation was robust during the visiting mission, which the BVI Government initially requested in April 2019 that was subsequently approved by the Special Committee in February 2024 after several years of diplomatic engagement between the BVI Government, C-24 and UK. The visiting mission allowed many persons for the very first time in their lives to seriously engage in dialogue on decolonisation, which was impartially facilitated by the C-24 as emphasised beforehand by the BVI Government and UN.”

Next steps

A report reflecting the views captured on the ground which will then be considered by the full membership of the C-24, UK, and VI will be prepared.

Premier Wheatley said he hopes the report will contribute positively to the further internal dialogue among people of the VI as constitutional reform and the VI’s long-term political future are considered.

“I am most grateful to the Chair of the C-24 H.E. Ambassador Menissa Rambally and the entire UN Special Committee on Decolonization for following through on conducting a visiting mission to the BVI in line with the committee’s mandate to annually visit one of the 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories under its remit,” he added.