Elected Members and UK Representatives of St Helena, Ascension Island, the Falklands, and Tristan da Cunha have established the South Atlantic Territories Cooperation Forum. The agreement, finalised at the recent Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC) should bring benefits to all of the South Atlantic Territories as they work together on common projects.
Highlighted for potential cooperation between the Islands, some areas include procurement, health, transportation links, climate change, agriculture, tourism, public works, conservation and public sector workforce development.
During the OTCC it was decided that St Helena Island under the Home & International Committee would spearhead the forum. Councillor Tara Thomas, Deputy Chairperson for the Home & International Committee in St Helena said that “the co-operations envisaged under this collaboration will provide a platform for improving the effectiveness of development policies and skills through information exchange, sharing of experience and best practice in a structured and systematic way.”
Respective Island Governments will now identify appropriate people to participate in the first teleconference scheduled for early 2011. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have agreed to facilitate this.
In a press release dated 05 January 2011 the Public Relations Office in St Helena said that It has been agreed by Members that the topics for discussion at the first forum will include tourism, and conservation.
