Climate resilience and security among BVI’s JMC priorities
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has said climate resilience and security will sit at the top of the Virgin Islands’ agenda as he leads a delegation to the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in the United Kingdom this week.
Dr Wheatley told a press conference last Friday, November 21, that he will travel to London this week to co-chair the JMC with UK Overseas Territories Minister Stephen Doughty. The JMC is the main yearly meeting between elected leaders of the Overseas Territories and UK ministers, and this year forms part of a broader UK “reset” with the territories, including plans for new bilateral compacts and a charter on engagement, Dr Wheatley said.
He said the week’s sessions will cover a wide range of issues, from technology to justice, but he highlighted climate and security as urgent for the Virgin Islands. On security, Premier Wheatley said many territories face growing threats and need more UK help.
“Security has been a challenge in many of the territories… and we are seeking more support in those particular areas as it pertains to human trafficking, gun and drug smuggling, having a greater presence, a naval presence, supporting the islands, and quite a number of other concerns as it pertains to security,” he explained.
On climate, the Premier warned that stronger storms and flooding are now routine and hurt local development. “We believe that the United Kingdom can do more as it pertains to access to climate finance,” Dr Wheatley said. “We have increasingly frequent and more powerful… hurricanes, climatic events… flooding, etc., which are impacting us and retarding our development. So we have to move very quickly to build climate resilience because this is the new normal right now.”
Dr Wheatley said the BVI needs to rebuild stronger and protect its coastlines. “We have to build stronger. We have to build better. We need more revetment projects protecting our coastlines, more mangrove protection,” he said, adding that these steps will help the territory “confront the climate crisis successfully.”
Security, irregular migration and climate change were among the major issues discussed during the 2024 JMC as shared priorities between the UK and the territories. Dr Wheatley has used the JMC to push the UK on climate resilience alongside other priorities such as governance reform and tackling illicit finance.
The Premier said his delegation will press these issues in plenary sessions, workshops and bilateral meetings during the London talks.
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What happened to the ‘climate change’ fund we charge tourists for?
You going to tell the UK about all the infill and destroyed mangroves your boys are killing and filling in island wide?
The pending destruction of Trellis Bay?
Nah, didn’t think so.
Just want to get on the climate gravy train and pocket what you can. None of you giys give a damn about the true impact of matters.
Natalio’s question to himself.
How do I get my hands on some of that climate money?
It is clear when you look at the VI, the land fill, the covering of coral the continued clearing of mangroves, the overdevelopment of the marine industry, the new perimeter road at Sage Mountain National Park, Sea Side Derelict Car Dump, a destructive airport project, sewage, Pockwood Pond, cruise ships, that the Premier487 has no interest in the environment.
But he does like burning through other peoples money.
These are matters that the BVI should definitely work along with the UK.