PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos Islands; Monday, October 27th, 1008 - Premier and Minister of Tourism, Honourable Dr. Michael E. Misick is in London, England this week for a series of meetings including the 10th annual meeting of the Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC).
The two-day meeting scheduled for October 28–29, hosted at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, will see Premiers, Chief Ministers, Councilors and other representatives from Britain's Overseas Territories in attendance. The Council, held annually in London, provides a forum for consultation with British Government Ministers, where they will discuss, among other things, the relationship between the United Kingdom and its Overseas Territories and various economic and development issues.
On day one, Tuesday, October 28th - Premier Misick will chair the session on The White Paper, Ten Years On. Discussions on the day will also include a session on Good Governance, which will be chaired by the newly appointed Minister for the Overseas Territories Ms. Gillian Merron and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for International Development Mr. Michael Foster.
The Premier and his fellow OTCC delegates will also discuss immigration, human rights and their international obligations in this regard. The delegates will receive updates on the International Labour Organisation's Convention C182, which deals with the elimination of the worst forms of child labour, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
On day two of the OTCC meeting, the focus will turn to financial services and anti-money laundering, where the attention will be on financial services strategy and anti-corruption initiatives. Delegates will also discuss the environment and disaster management before ending their meeting.
The Premier's delegation includes Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Hon. Floyd Hall; Permanent Secretary Finance, Mr. Delton Jones; Mr. Gloyd Lewis, Permanent Secretary Office of the Premier and Ministry of Tourism; and Mr. Gilbert Morris, consultant to Government and ministry of Finance.
In the absence of the Premier and Deputy Premier, Hon. Jeffrey Hall, Minister of Works and Utilities will perform the duties of Premier in accordance with the 2006 Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution which states that in the absence of the Premier and Deputy Premier, the next senior minister will perform the functions of the office of Premier.
END
The Overseas Territories Consultative Council was established in 1999 as a forum for discussion of key policy issues between British Ministers and Heads of Overseas Territories' Governments. The Council meets once a year in London. An FCO Minister (currently Meg Munn) has specific responsibilities for Overseas Territory issues.
The territories represented at this year's OTCC were:
- Anguilla
- Bermuda
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Falkland Islands
- Montserrat
- Pitcairn
- St Helena
- Turks and Caicos Islands
