Premier of the Virgin Islands, Honourable Dr. Natalio D. Wheatley is scheduled to be on duty travel from Saturday, June 1 until June 11.

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 1 to June 11, 2024 while Premier Wheatley is away from the Virgin Islands. The Premier is scheduled to return to the Territory on June 11, 2024.

​Premier Wheatley will attend the Caribbean Postal Union Conference and an Exploratory Mission scheduled to be held in Cayman between June 1 and June 9, 2024. Additionally Honourable Dr. Wheatley isscheduled to travel to New York for the Substantive Session of the UN Committee on Decolonisation between June 9 and June 11. 

He said, “The Universal Postal Union International Bureau decided to implement regional cooperation projects to coordinate and improve quality of service through an integrated postal supply chain. This approach aims to help Designated Operators modernize operational processes and use all available IT standardized tools and systems to implement operational solutions, which meet e-commerce requirements.”

Premier of the Virgin Island also stated that “The exploratory mission regarding the transition of the Department of Immigration and His Majesty Customs to a Border Force Entity will allow for both departments and the parent ministries to gain information on legislative, administrative, and management changes undertaken by the Cayman Islands contributing to the successfully transitioning to the Customs & Border Control.”  

Premier Wheatley will also make a statement at the June substantive session of the Special Committee on Decolonization (C-24) at UN Headquarters where he willreinforce the message Special Envoy Mr. Benito Wheatley delivered on his behalf at the Caribbean regional seminar on Decolonization in Venezuela, that emphasised that the UN system must work more closely with 

Overseas Territories to support our development and encourage the administering powers to provide the support and access to climate finance needed to build climate resilience and sustainable development.

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.”

The Government of the Virgin Islands remains committed to the overall development of the Territory through the strengthening of its relationship with the United Kingdom.