Premier of the Virgin Islands, Honourable Dr. Natalio D. Wheatley will be away from the Territory on duty travel from June 8 to June 20 attending several high level meetings.

Pemier Wheatley will attend the C-24 Conference in New York from to June 8 to June 10. The C-24 conference refers to the Special Committee on Decolonisation's substantive meeting. The committee examines the situation in Non-Self-Governing Territories, hears views from various stakeholders, and adopts draft resolutions for the General Assembly. The C-24 also considers issues related to decolonisation and updates on the progress towards self-determination for each territory.

Premier Wheatley will also attend the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Heads of Government Conference in Brazil from June 11 to June 14. The CDB will convene the 55th Annual Meeting of its board and bring together regional leaders, international partners and development experts to chart a path toward institutional resilience, economic competitiveness and inclusive growth for its Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs).

The meeting will be observed under the theme, “Building the Future: Resilient Institutions for a Greener, Stronger, and Inclusive Caribbean”, and its agenda is crafted to directly address the most pressing development challenges faced by the Caribbean.

Premier will also travel to St. Vincent and the Grenadines where he will attend the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean State (OECS) Authority Heads of Government meeting from June 16 to June 20.

The OECS meeting will focus on regional integration and collective prosperity, addressing urgent matters related to the changing international environment and its economic impact on the Caribbean region.

Honourable Premier said, “Attending these meetings is always an invaluable opportunity.  They allow us to learn from the experiences of our regional colleagues and adopt strategies that can drive progress here in the Virgin Islands.  It is about advancing our Territory and ensuring that our people remain at the centre of our development agenda”.

During this period, Deputy Premier and Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change Honourable Julian Fraser will also be abroad on official duty travel, from June 7 to June 15.

In their absence, Minister for Communication and Works, Honourable Kye Rymer has been appointed to carry out the functions of Premier, Minister of Finance, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sustainable Development, and Minister for Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation during the period, June 8 to  June 14.

Honourable Rymer’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.”

The Government of the Virgin Islands remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing the Territory through strategic international engagement and regional cooperation.