The Rt Hon Baroness Anelay, UK Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN with responsibility for the Overseas Territories, visited Anguilla on Monday 9 January.
The visit, at the start of the 50th year since the Revolution, sought to confirm the strong links and the shared values and interests of the UK and Anguilla.
The UK Minister paid a visit to the Adrian T. Hazell Primary School, viewing the new block of classrooms built with UK capital funds which was opened just over a year ago. She was pleased to meet and take questions from grade six students. To mark the 50th Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution, children from the school presented Minister Anelay with a time capsule filled with their hopes and ideas about Anguilla’s development over the next half century. The time capsule was placed later the same morning, and with the assistance of two pupils, in the foundation of the new fire station, where it will be opened in the year 2067.
Minister Anelay also visited various infrastructure projects to which the UK is contributing capital funds, such as the combined airport control tower and the fire station, and the Road Bay Jetty. Joined by the Chief Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister cut the ribbon as she formally handed over to the Government of Anguilla the new Communications Tower on Crocus Hill, built with EC$636k of UK funding.
Minister Anelay met with Government of Anguilla Ministers, and had lunch with members of the House of Assembly. During their meeting, Minister Anelay and the Chief Minister signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ setting out the funding the UK will provide to support the Government of Anguilla in its development of a long term National Sustainable Development Plan. This Plan, to be developed during 2017 with input from the public, will help to guide Anguilla’s development over the next twenty years, identify priorities to support the efficient allocation of scarce resources and help to support economic sustainability for future generations
In the afternoon, discussions with the Commissioner of Police, Mr Paul Morrison, and senior officers of the RAPF explored ways in which the UK and Anguilla can cooperate in the areas of security and justice reform. Minister Anelay also joined a meeting of the Child Safeguarding Board. She was impressed by the commitment and cross-organisational, multi-disciplinary working of the Board, and heard from its members about some of the challenges they face in protecting the human rights of all children in Anguilla.
Finally, Minister Anelay met with a group of inspiring young leaders from across Anguillian society, including former Chevening scholars, entrepreneurs and private and public sector employees. Informal discussions touched on the current concerns of Anguilla’s youth, as well as ideas for the future development of Anguilla from those who will live, work and raise families here over coming decades.
The visit to Anguilla by Minister Anelay was followed by stops in St Kitts & Nevis and St Lucia.
– Press Release
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
