Three leading figures from St Helena – a small volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean – visited Montserrat this March on a relationship-building mission.
Governor, Air Commodore Nigel Phillips, Chief Minister Julie Dorne Thomas and Chief Secretary Susan O’Bey spent a busy week on the island.
They attended meetings, visited heritage sites and capital projects, took part in an educational hike, learned about the volcano and enjoyed St Patrick’s Festival celebrations.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office organised the visit to enable the two United Kingdom overseas territories to learn from each other.
The two islands share many commonalities, a joint press release from Governor Sarah Tucker and Premier Joseph E Farrell said on 13 March.
They both receive official development assistance from the UK and one of their priorities is addressing climate change and biodiversity loss.
In 2016, St Helena declared its entire exclusive economic zone as a category six marine protected area and approved a marine tourism policy.
The visit provides Montserrat with a unique opportunity to learn how St Helena has made progress in many areas, the press release says.
These include the Blue Belt programme, marine protected areas, the green agenda, cloud forests and the conservation of endangered species.
The islands share similar challenges as well.
Both have similar sized populations and age profiles, both import significantly which impacts the cost of living, and both are seeking innovative ways to develop their economies.
The St Helena delegation arrived on 13 March are both the governor and premier welcomed them to Montserrat.
During their visit they met government ministers and public service officials to discuss topics including budget management, statistics, procurement, and programme management.
The trip included a visit to the Montserrat Port Development Project, the site of the New National Hospital, the Montserrat Volcano Observatory, and the National Museum.
The visitors also enjoyed the National Trust garden show and tea party, the unveiling of the national hero, live music from Emerald Singers, and a hike with Scriber’s Adventures.
The visitors ended their visit on 19 March.
Governor Tucker said: “This is a further opportunity to work more closely with our sister overseas territories, to learn from each other and to share opportunities and challenges.
“We look forward to strengthening this relationship with St Helena in the future.”
St Helena is a remote volcanic tropical island 1,950 kilometres (1,210 miles) west of the coast of south-western Africa in the South Atlantic Ocean.
It is one of the world’s most isolated islands and forms part of the territorial grouping of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
