Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7)

I am pleased to announce that the United Nations (UN) has published the official report of the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation’s visiting mission to the British Virgin Islands from 26th-27th August 2024 that assessed the progress of the Territory’s decolonisation and gauged the views of the people on the next steps in their journey on the path of self-determination to achieve a full measure of self-government.

The Government welcomes the report and its recommendations. The report recommends:

a) Education programme. Implement a national education programme on the quest for independence, supported by the Administering Power and facilitated by the United Nations;

b) Independence timetable. Establish a timetable for independence. Midway through this period, the Territory should be granted some form of self-governance, decided by the Administering Power and the people of the Territory;

c) Discussions with the Administering Power. Engage in talks with the Government of the United Kingdom, potentially involving a United Nations-appointed arbitrator if needed and agreed upon, to continue steps towards self-governance and independence;

d) Consideration of a referendum. Assess the need for a referendum on independence. If a referendum is called for, ensure that a robust education programme is implemented by the United Nations as an independent agent in the process.

In the coming weeks, the report will be laid before the House of Assembly and debated in the context of our constitutional review process.

The Government will also provide an official forum for members of the public to express their views on the findings of the report and its recommendations.

The visiting mission report is available on the Bulletins page on Government’s web portal at www.bvi.gov.vg. I encourage the public to read the report and to be prepared to express their views at the forum to be organised by the Government in the near future.

I again want to thank the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation for the visiting mission and the Member States of CARICOM and OECS for their strong support.

I also want to thank my international relations team for the British Virgin Islands’ robust engagement with the UN to make the visiting mission a reality. God bless these beautiful British Virgin Islands.