UK still willing to assist despite BVI’s ‘ineligibility’ for financial aid
Despite the Virgin Islands not qualifying for the United Kingdom Overseas Development Assistance because of its high Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and level of income, Governor John Rankin noted the UK is willing to offer support to the BVI in any event of a natural disaster.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Governor Rankin explained that BVI’s GDP is calculated based on the economic data available on the territory.
He added that the level of GDP in the territory means the BVI is not among the poorest countries in the world eligible for that specific form of overseas development assistance.
“But that does not mean help cannot be given in emergency when it is needed. That is precisely why the UK gave so much essential assistance to BVI in 2017 following the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. It is also why the UK continues to support efforts here on climate adaptation,” Governor Rankin said.
“You would be aware of the number of projects the UK has funded through its recovery development agency here for example solar projects to help to develop renewable energy here in the territory and I expect them to continue to do that for the future. So, the fact that the BVI is not eligible for that particular form of overseas development assistance does not mean the UK will not help the BVI in its time of need as we have done and continue to do,” he added.
The Governor noted the budgetary provisions here in the territory are determined by the BVI government. But under special circumstances, the United Kingdom Government can assist the Virgin Islands.
He added that if and when that time comes, it will be given a constructive hearing.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
YEAH , ALL THOSE FAKE PROTESTERS WHO WAS BARE FACED ENOUGH TO SIT IN THE ROAD FOR PUBLICITY STUNTS / WHAT HAVE THE DONE FOR THE COUNTRY , BESIDES RIPPING OFF THE SAME PEOPLE WHO THEY PROMISED TO TAKE CARE OF WITH HONESTY AND INTEGRITY
All we want the UK to do is stay out of our business
your drug business?
OK UK come fix our roads, schools, water and sewage woes.
SORT WE OUT!
BS, the UK did nothing but put boots on the ground when the UK appointed Governor led Police and prison officers failed to do their job at the worst possible time. Everybody heard the rumors about the prisoners being ushered out of the prison which led to an innocent civilian being robbed and killed by one of the “escapees”The Governor failed to provide adequate training for prison and police officers and it showed. They need more than just standard training and all events should be considered. I personally watched people looting while a police man stood by and said he could do nothing because it was a crisis. It should be easy for the UK to start an exchange partnership with the RVIPF so that a few UK officers can work here temporarily to provide expertise and also foil any attempts of the local officers to corrupt their colleagues into joining the payroll of drug kingpins. There would be less phones and drugs in prison if there were UK prison guards who have no friends on the inside because it’s obvious how these items enter the prison system. The UK aren’t doing anything but providing vaccines. They complain in the COI but offered no solutions to develop our Human Resources. No grants for education because they don’t want us to advance. Does the Governor do anything to fight for more help from the UK besides vaccine assistance.
They “did nothing” except send troops to provide law and order and stop widespread looting and anarchy, and a military ship full of supplies that the government TURNED AWAY.
Good Lord, the nerve of these people.
The Brits got soldiers, police and basic aid here very fast indeed after Irma. If I remember right the storm stopped on Thursday morning and we had military flights on the Saturday and the navy ship in the day before. It might be the other way round, but it was fast. The local government, with a couple of exceptions like DDM evaporated, until there were aid supplies like tarps from the UK to distribute to their friends.
The UK then offered a $400m loan finance guarantee; so BVI could have borrowed more to rebuild at lower interest rates because it was guaranteed by the UK Government. The offer came with conditions, including that the loans couldn’t be stolen and had to be spent properly on well designed and well built projects. That offer was rejected by the House of Assembly.
The CoI explains very clearly why the UK insisted on those conditions; and here we are nearly years afterwards without a functioning high school and all the other third world infrastructure.
What happened to the hundreds of millions of Government revenue paid in since the 1980s? Where did it go; what did we get for it?
Has anyone seen a million dollar elevator, recently?
This is a difficult one for ethno-nativist BVIslander fascist movement.
If the UK give us help we yell: “Leave us alone we don’t need your help!”
If they don’t we yell, “See, you not even helping us!”
That’s the benefit of having an enemy to focus on. Avoid self-scrutiny because you can blame anything and everything on the hated ‘other’.
Meanwhile we are too rich to qualify for aid but yet our roads, schools, sewage and civil service systems are 4th world quality. How did that happen?
Oh yes, now they saying we need to blame the UK for that because the Governor never stepped in and stopped the corruption and the whole time they was wishing he would.
And when the governor DID step in to stop corruption (COI) they called him a racist. See: Jaspert, Gus.
Why did he step in? He only stepped in because they called him a racist. He probably wanted some extra bribe that they didn’t want to pay.
“ethno-nativist BVIslander fascist movement”. that is a mouthful of nonsense. Just remember how the BVI became a territory of the UK. Just remember the circumstance behind the relationships Caribbean countries have with European states. It is not unreasonable for Caribbean nations to want to resist them or side-eye anything they do. Fascist? Get a grip.
I understand the circumstances of the BVI very well. Complaining that those words are too long for you is a cheap way to deflect from truth: the arguments used by many BVIslanders are exactly those used by fascists and other ethnic and birthright based nationalists, who think a nation should be defined only by the blood and myths of one group. Like every other country in the grip of this mindset, it gets nasty very easily. We as a people need to be wary of this way of seeing ourselves. That way lies fascism. Ethincally based, native-only fascism.
We understand the circumstances of the BVI very well. Complaining that those words are too long for you is a cheap way to deflect from truth: the arguments used by many BVIslanders are exactly those used by fascists and other ethnic and birthright based nationalists, who think a nation should be defined only by the blood and myths of one group. Like every other country in the grip of this mindset, it gets nasty very easily. We as a people need to be wary of this way of seeing ourselves. That way lies fascism. Ethincally based, native-only fascism.
I can’t ‘remember’ the circumstances. Neither can anyone alive. It was 450 years ago!
Effects still remnant and very evident today. It could’ve been BC, it’s still relevant!
You didn’t have to be alive to know the past. It’s in the history books. That’s where you would have remembered it, Einstein.
They invested money in the slave trade
They profited from slave trade and built up the Monarchy and UK
We did not
Them bad. We good. Hate them.
We so good. They so bad. Because of history we are allowed to break all the rules that usually apply – God is Love, Love thy Neighbor, etc. – and just enjoy being allowed to hate people who are not themselves doing wrong to us, they just wear the same skin color as people that did wrong to our ancestors in the past.
Meanwhile we could be working on ways to make life excellent for all BVIslanders, one of the wealthiest, beautiful, most connected territories in the Caribbean. Opportunities are everywhere but we’re too busy being told that our politics must include a big portion of hate. If not, we are betraying our forefathers.
So we betray our children instead. We waste opportunities, We teach them to hate and to blame problems on people that don’t look like them, instead of thinking through each issue and finding the best possible solutions. We keep ourselves chained with hate.
This is very sad.
Brits