By Government of the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands (BVI) – Premier and minister of finance Andrew A. Fahie articulated to the United Nations that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a catalyst for post-pandemic recovery in remarks at the virtual UNDP/ECLAC XII Ministerial Forum for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean help January 12-14, 2021.
In his address as a panelist at a high-level ministerial roundtable on “effective governance, beyond recovery” on January 14, premier Fahie outlined the steps the British Virgin Islands has taken in response to COVID-19 to contain the virus and stabilise the economy. He also expressed confidence in the recovery of the tourism sector under new entry and health protocols.
“We took a further step toward the recovery of our economy on December 1, 2020, when the borders were reopened to visitors under a robust set of entry and health protocols. The arrangements put in place have performed reasonably well thus far. Our screening procedures have been successful in netting and isolating any imported cases of COVID-19. Numbers remain low, but we continue to adjust our protocols as necessary to ensure the safety of the public. We are pleased to see the return of visitors and anticipate that the relatively low number of tourists currently on island will significantly increase by the next tourism season. To ensure the British Virgin Islands remains competitive in the global marketplace over the long-term, we are developing a new tourism strategy that will position us for continued success and sustainability,” said, premier Fahie.
In addition, he emphasised the continuing importance of the Sustainable Development Goals, despite COVID-19, affirming:
“While we know the global pandemic has placed the Sustainable Development Goals at risk, the British Virgin Islands views the SDGs as a catalyst for post-pandemic recovery. We believe that the transition required to achieve them will boost economic growth over the long-term, especially as transaction and environmental costs drop over time.”
Hon. Premier Fahie, British Virgin Islands 🇻🇬 participated today in the Ministerial Forum organized by @UNDP / @PNUDLAC and @eclac_un
" While we know that the pandemic has put the achievement of the SDGs at risk, 2030 goals are catalytic for long term recovery"@BVIGovernment https://t.co/5nG2O1WvLJ pic.twitter.com/jV5qMX9Dvw
— Ugo Blanco (@ugo_blanco) January 14, 2021
The premier thanked UNDP regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean Dr Luis Felipe Lopez-Calva and ECLAC executive secretary Alicia Barcena for continued support by UNDP and ECLAC to the Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean and the wider Latin America and Caribbean region, as governments grapple with the impact of the global pandemic.
The British Virgin Islands is a vice-chair of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC), a subsidiary body of ECLAC. Premier Fahie will co-chair a Summit of the Associate Members of ECLAC on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the upcoming UN Fourth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development.
