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| 2012 Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council We publish an important report and photograph on 21st December of the December 2012 Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council held in London during which the Tristan Government UK Representative Chris Bates held talks with UK Prime Minister David Cameron. See - 2012 OTJMC Report |
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| Greenland Visit Report Tristan's UK Government Representative Chris Bates attended the11th Ministerial Conference and European Union Overseas Countries and Territories Forum held in Greenland during September 2012 - see report and pictures on the News Abroad page. |
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Agreement reached with Owners and Insurers of the MS Oliva Report from Administrator Sean Burns on 11th September 2012 I am pleased to report that we have finally reached an agreement with the owners/insurers of the MS Oliva, the bulk carrier that ran aground at Nightingale Island on 16 March 2011. The details of the settlement are a commercial matter between the vessels owners/insurers and the Tristan Government but we are satisfied that the settlement represents a reasonable and fair deal for us to move forward with the management of the fishery and protection of the environment. In the meantime the fishery at Nightingale remains closed and the quota at Inaccessible has been reduced to 44 tonnes. These are provisional quotas that will be reviewed at a meeting of fishery experts in Cape Town in November. James Glass, our Fisheries Director will be attending on Tristan’s behalf. The Conservation Department will shortly begin the penguin counts around the islands and further details will be posted just as soon as they become available. See also the separate MS Oliva Disaster Section |
UK Government Publishes White Paper on the Overseas Territories The long awaited White Paper on the UK Overseas Territories was published on 28th June. There follows a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Press Release and there is a link below to the UK Government's FCO website where the White Paper can be downloaded. It includes a photograph of Tristan da Cunha Chief Islander Ian Lavarello during the 2011 Overseas Territories Consultative Council in London. The UK Government renews and strengthens Britain’s relationship with the Overseas Territories today with the publication of its White Paper, “The Overseas Territories: Security, Success and Sustainability”. Foreign Secretary, William Hague said: “Today’s White Paper is the first review of the Overseas Territories since 1999 and it demonstrates the importance the Coalition Government attaches to the Overseas Territories. “As well as having a responsibility to ensure the security and good governance of the Territories, we want the Territories to be vibrant, flourishing communities that proudly retain aspects of their British identity. “ We appreciate the remarkable diversity of the Territories, each with their own specific attributes, opportunities and challenges.This White Paper is designed to meet these challenges, to set out ways we can support the Territories and strengthen our engagement with them. It is another major milestone in our long and shared history, and I hope it will mark a new era of engagement between Britain and the Overseas Territories.” This White Paper focuses on three goals: strengthening engagement between the UK and the Territories; working with the Territories to strengthen good governance, public financial management and economic planning where this is necessary; and improving the quality and range of support available to the Territories. The White Paper was developed across government departments and in consultation with the people and governments of the Territories. In the year in which Britain and the Territories celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen, it sends an important signal of long-term engagement. The Overseas Territories are incredibly diverse; they include thousands of small islands, vast areas of ocean, but also, in Antarctica, land six times the size of the United Kingdom. They include one of the world’s richest communities, in Bermuda; and the most remote community, in Tristan da Cunha. They are internationally recognised for their exceptionally rich and varied natural environments. They are home to an estimated 90% of the biodiversity found within the UK and the Territories combined and include two of the world’s largest Marine Protected Areas. Link to the UK Government's FCO Website to download the document: http://www.fco.gov.uk |
MBE for Joe Green On 18th June Governor Mark Capes wrote to Joe sending his warmest congratulations on being honoured with an MBE in recognition of his dedicated and valuable contribution to the community of Tristan da Cunha. The Governor also looks forward to meeting Joe when he is able to visit Tristan. |
| Sean Burns Returns Administrator Sean Burns returned aboard MV Edinburgh on Friday 8th June. Also on board was new doctor Rajaram Patil taking over from Dr Tom Day. |
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