Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour and Trade, Honourable Lorna G. Smith, OBE, has been appointed to act as Premier and Minister of Finance from June 1 to June 11, 2024, while Premier Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) is away from the Virgin Islands. Photo: GIS/File

Premier of the Virgin Islands, Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) is on duty travel from Saturday, June 1 until June 11, 2024. Photo: GIS/File

Deputy Premier and Minister for Financial Services, Labour and Trade, Honourable Lorna G. Smith, OBE, has been appointed to act as Premier and Minister of Finance from June 1 to June 11, 2024, while Premier Wheatley is away from the Virgin Islands. The Premier is scheduled to return to the Territory on June 11, 2024.

Cayman Islands & New York bound

According to the Government Information Service (GIS), Premier Wheatley will attend the Caribbean Postal Union Conference and an Exploratory Mission in the Cayman Islands between June 1 and June 9, 2024. Additionally, Dr Wheatley is scheduled to travel to New York for the Substantive Session of the UN Committee on Decolonisation between June 9 and June 11. 

He said, “The Universal Postal Union International Bureau decided to implement regional cooperation projects to coordinate and improve quality of service through an integrated postal supply chain. This approach aims to help Designated Operators modernise operational processes and use all available IT standardised tools and systems to implement operational solutions, which meet e-commerce requirements.”

The Premier of the Virgin Islands also stated that “The exploratory mission regarding the transition of the Department of Immigration and His Majesty Customs to a Border Force Entity will allow for both departments and the parent ministries to gain information on legislative, administrative, and management changes undertaken by the Cayman Islands contributing to the successfully transitioning to the Customs and Border Control.”

Premier to make statement @ UN HQ

Premier Wheatley will also make a statement at the June substantive session of the Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) at UN Headquarters where he will reinforce the message Special Envoy Mr E. Benito Wheatley delivered on his behalf at the Caribbean regional seminar on Decolonisation in Venezuela, that emphasised that the UN system must work more closely with Overseas Territories to support our development and encourage the administering powers to provide the support and access to climate finance needed to build climate resilience and sustainable development.