Premier of the Virgin Islands, Honourable Dr. Natalio D. Wheatley is attending the 54th Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Annual Meeting in Ontario, Canada from June 18 to 21.

The meeting will bring together the bank’s highest decision-making body, thought-leaders, innovators, academics, business leaders, policymakers, and government officials for vital discussions to address issues pivotal to sustainable development efforts in the Caribbean Region.

The event will be held under the theme, ‘Partnerships for Resilient Prosperity’, which underscores the commitment of the CDB and its member countries to work toward resilient prosperity, while emphasising the need to design and adopt more holistic proxies for sustainable/resilient development, as well as mobilising and catalysing the necessary capital resources.

Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Dr. Natalio Wheatley is the Governor for the British Overseas Territories as each member country of the CDB nominates one Governor and one Alternate Governor. Each Governor casts the votes of the member Territory which he/she represents. The British Overseas Territories of Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks and Caicos Islands are regarded as one member.

The Premier will be accompanied by the Acting Financial Secretary, Dr. Drexel Glasgow. The Financial Secretary is the lead and point of contact for the Caribbean Development Bank’s collaboration and partnership with the Government of the Virgin Islands.

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 18 to June 21, 2024 while Premier Wheatley is away from the Virgin Islands. The Premier is scheduled to return to the Territory on June 21.

Honourable Smith’s appointment is in accordance with Section 55 (1) of the Virgin Islands Constitution Order, 2007 which states, “If the Premier is expected to be absent from the Virgin Islands for more than forty-eight hours, the Governor shall authorise the Deputy Premier to perform the functions of the office of Premier; and the Governor shall revoke this authority on the return to the Virgin Islands of the Premier.”