By Government of the British Virgin Islands
TORTOLA, BVI – The British Virgin Islands (BVI) has been elected by acclimation to serve as a vice chair of the United Nations’ (UN) official intergovernmental body for the Caribbean, the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC), a subsidiary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
The decision was approved at the 30th Session of the CDCC in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago on September 11, 2024. The other officers confirmed to serve on the CDCC Bureau were Trinidad and Tobago (chair); Saint Lucia (vice chair); Jamaica (vice chair); and Saint Kitts and Nevis (Rapporteur). Senior ECLAC officials who attended the meeting included executive secretary Jose Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs and director of the ECLAC subregional headquarters for the Caribbean in Port of Spain, Diane Quarless.
As a vice chair, the BVI will support the chair who is represented by Pennelope Beckles-Robinson, minister of planning and development of Trinidad and Tobago, in carrying out the CDCC programme of work for 2024-26 that will focus on advancing the Caribbean’s sustainable development and climate resilience under the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The BVI will also serve as lead ECLAC associate member of a new Working Group established by CDCC resolution to facilitate UN system collaboration on assistance to the associate members of ECLAC in support of their sustainability, resilience and development.
At the CDCC session, special envoy Benito Wheatley assumed the role of vice chair on behalf of the BVI in his capacity as BVI Representative to the UN in Latin America and the Caribbean. He also attended the 8th meeting of the Caribbean Development Roundtable (CDR) from 9-10 September ahead of the 30th session of the CDCC.
Speaking on the BVI’s CDCC leadership role, Wheatley, said: “We are humbled by the trust and confidence of ECLAC, the UN system and membership of CDCC in the British Virgin Islands to serve as a vice chair of this important intergovernmental UN body that supports the sustainable development, climate resilience and economic transformation of the Caribbean. I am truly honoured to represent the BVI on the committee on behalf of Premier Dr Natalio D. Wheatley and the BVI government. We look forward to working with the CDCC Bureau, committee members, and development partners to move the subregion forward.”
The BVI joined ECLAC as an associate member in 1984 and was admitted to CDCC in 1985. The CDCC was initially established in 1975 to help facilitate the cooperation, development and transformation of the Caribbean subregion.
