UK TERRITORIES PRIORITIES FOR 2015 2014-2015 Roadmap To meet the commitments in the Communiqué we agree to prioritise work in the following areas over the next year: 1. Joint work to share best practice on the formulation and communication of mid- to long-term economic plans, including enhancing competiveness and increasing diversification across and within sectors. 2. Overseas Territories governments in those Territories that have not already done so to develop and publish Territory investment plans or sector specific plans as appropriate, with UK support. 3. Joint work to raise international standards to tackle money laundering, tax evasion, illicit finance and corruption, leading by example given the importance of our financial centres to the international financial system. We agree to meet again ahead of the G20 meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in February to agree a way forward on implementation of the G20 principles on beneficial ownership. 4. Joint work to deepen cooperation in tackling organised crime, including exploring options for legislative provision in the Territories for lawful intercept where such provision doesn’t already exist and improved sharing of information across jurisdictions. 5. Joint work to deliver a strategic approach to prison management and to promote greater sharing of information and best practice between the Territories and the UK, including through UK advisory visits to Territory prisons and inward secondments to the UK. 6. Joint work to establish Territory led working groups, supported by the UK, to share best practice in border security management, combating immigration abuse and irregular migration. The UK will work in partnership with the Territories to ensure effective arrangements are in place for the issuing of British Overseas Territories Citizen passports during the centralisation programme. 7. Overseas Territories to produce environmental road maps by May 2015 where they have not already done so, setting out plans to implement environmental commitments agreed at the JMC 8. Joint work to ratify multilateral environmental agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity where these are of benefit to the Territories. Where multilateral environmental agreements are already in place we commit to work to together to ensure that implementation standards are robust. 9. The UK government to explore with international partners such as the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) how the Territories can engage directly to commission technical and policy support to introduce renewable energy sources. 10. Joint work to extend to the core UN Human Rights Conventions to the Territories, where these have not been extended already. UK Government to ensure that pending requests from the Territories are taken forward as soon as possible. 11. Overseas Territories governments to work to develop Overseas Territories’ codes of conduct for Ministers, parliamentarians and public servants, where these are not already in place, with support from the UK where appropriate. 12. UK to provide support for the rule of law in the Overseas Territories, including advice and practical help in the drafting of legislation and assistance to prosecutors’ offices. 13. UK to work with Territories to develop measures to support implementation of the World Health Organization International Health Regulations, review existing NHS quota arrangements and to continue work on the procurement of medicines and vaccines and education and training. 14. Joint work to improve child safeguarding, with UK support for Territories to consider undertaking child safeguarding reviews where these are not already in place, and the establishment of a child safeguarding group to improve coordination, enhance capacity and exploit existing frameworks for best practice. 15. UK to work with the Commonwealth to explore associate membership for the Overseas Territories.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 06:14:30 +0000
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