Chief Minister’s Christmas Message for 2024
Each year when I begin to write my Christmas message, I find myself slipping into a mode of reflection. A time to recall what was said last year and then to question whether we have achieved what we set out to do. If we haven’t, we need to be confident enough to ask ourselves why, what made it unattainable? If we have, then we should celebrate the achievement, ask ourselves how was this achieved, what worked well, what were the key ingredients to success, and is there room for improvement? This will help us to define what is needed to keep on accomplishing in these challenging times.
Just as importantly, I believe we need to be courageous. We need to allow ourselves to dare to dream and to tell others what we see when we look forward. What are our plans and aspirations for the year ahead? Are they genuine? Are they reachable? Can we afford them and importantly do they fill you with a sense of purpose?
These are all thought-provoking questions. Questions that we should be encouraged to ask ourselves on a regular basis. I am sure such reflection resonates with most of you, whether it relates to your work or business environment or that of your home. Although basic in their ask, the responsibility associated with answering such questions honestly, are at most times burdensome. This is because the responses provided, can and will differ depending on our circumstances at the time. When responding we will need to consider our limitations, current commitments, affordability, our priorities at any such given time, and the impact such answer may have on our team, our colleagues, our family and of course, ourselves.
In its simplicity, this defines the role of Chief Minister and that of Ministers, but with one significant difference – because as leaders of our island, we are expected, and responsible for taking informed decisions that must be of legal standing, which incorporates the best interest of St Helena and our people. This is a huge responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. Any decision taken, must consider the impact on our social, economic and environmental obligations and is exactly what was deliberated upon, when formulating our Vision, which was then published in March 2022. It was recognised then, that if through our decision making process, these core principles were at the forefront of our debates, we would in turn and time ensure a better quality of life for all.
This remains our principal objective, however due to lack of resources (in terms of financial and human capacity and capability), linked very closely with our declining and aging population, our geographical location and of course our high reliance on importation of most goods and services, we are forced to continuously prioritise our priorities. This is unfortunate and not ideal but, it depicts the realism of St Helena’s situation and until such time that we can address these problems, St Helena will continue to face great difficulty in changing our trajectory.
This concern was captured in ‘Our Vision’, whereby I stated that to “enable us to achieve our vision, our policy priorities would focus on specific areas, which are instrumental if we are to address the current challenges impinging on our ability to create a more optimistic and viable future for our island”. To date, we have continued to adhere to the strategic objectives set, which keeps us attentive and true to our pledge made.
We promised that we would invest in a more robust health service which would acknowledge and focus on holistic health, taking into account our ageing population and the complexity of our health and social needs, whilst encouraging a more responsible approach to improving our individual lifestyles. This is evident in the fact that approximately 33% of our budget allocation is invested in essential improvements necessary to stabilise and in some areas improve the Health & Social Care offering. We also remain determined to initiate and implement preventative care measures, which over time will result in reduced pressures on other parts of SHG’s budget, but it will also help to grow a more healthy and wealthy society, which is essential if it is our desire to achieve a more vibrant and thriving economy.
We also committed to developing Renewable Energy and Water Security plans which would ensure that we primarily protect our environment, whilst delivering both resources at affordable prices. We recognised that renewable energy would play a vital role in meeting our future energy needs and would support our desire to become a low carbon island and economy. In this regard, we have established a target for generation of energy from renewables, with at least 80% of energy demand being sourced from renewables by 2027/28, or sooner if possible. We are currently modelling energy demand and designing a new renewable system for energy generation to meet our proposed target.
In respect of water resource management planning, St Helena is currently negotiating a contract for Technical Consultancy services for the development of a detailed 30 Year Water Resources Management Plan in support of improved water resources planning for the island.
We said that we would work to strengthening and improving our educational offering by continuing to recognise the importance of inclusivity, whilst acknowledging the prominence of education in our lives. Encouraging Life Long Learning by investing in and valuing our people in order to develop through upskilling, training and rewarding as we create a sustainable workforce. This year we have kick-started the much needed Education Review, which is primarily exploring a deep dive into the Education Standards in St Helena covering demographics, profiled staff in schools, audit of teaching standards, mapped outcomes and progress at all key stages over a five year span. This includes securing evidence to determine the best way forward in respect of primary school provision and producing a five year plan for all St Helena Schools to secure Council of British International Schools (COBIS) Standards.
One of the outstanding achievements of this year in terms of implementing schemes and policies that will support creating an enabling environment was endorsing the much awaited Immigration Policy in May 2024. This policy supports increasing the working age population and is critical to growing the economy and sustainable prosperity for our island. To fuel economic growth, this policy aims to attract a skilled workforce with streamlined, user-friendly processes for visitors, professionals and investors. It is pertinent to reiterate however, that there are no changes to St Helenian Status or existing partner exemptions. This good work has now resulted in the Immigration (Amendment) Bill, 2024 being approved in our recent sitting of Formal Legislative Council.
Another exceptional achievement I would like to mention before moving on, is that of the offer which was presented to St Helena Government by the UK Government (UKG) when we were asked to consider whether we would wish to assist the UKG by providing a contingency arrangement to support the UKG’s interest in the welfare of persons who may arrive in future in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) who may claim to be unable to return to their country of nationality.
I acknowledge that there are differences of opinion surrounding the process undertaken, nevertheless this opportunity stands out as a unique opportunity whereby a British Overseas Territory was able to lean forward to assist the UK in their time of need. St Helena demonstrated its willingness to assist, where possible to do so, but it also provided us with a platform to raise the profile of St Helena whilst bringing to the forefront the challenging environment we are expected to operate in. This forthrightness has resulted in St Helena receiving additional support from the UK Government in terms of further strengthening our border controls in helping us to better manage incoming migrants. It has also led to us obtaining access to additional funds that are being utilised to invest in some of our core service areas such as Health & Social Care, Education and IT. Just as importantly this arrangement has provided us with much needed funding to more effectively address the medical referral list, which was a cumbersome ordeal for us.
These are but a few examples of the work being undertaken to help us to achieve an enabling environment with essential infrastructure in position, to provide St Helena with a solid foundation to stimulate social and economic growth.
Looking forward to the final year of our tenure, there remains much to do; beginning with the upcoming Financial Aid Mission (FAM) that will commence on our return to work in the New Year. This is a crucial process for St Helena and is an exercise that absorbs a great deal of SHG’s time, but is fundamental, if we are to ensure that we present a realistic, accurate and concise picture of St Helena’s current position.
This year, for the first time I am led to believe, St Helena will be presenting our very own scenario, in addition to the three scenarios requested by FCDO. The principal aim of this scenario is to raise awareness with the UKG that the annual budgets received are no longer aligned with what is required to meet St Helena’s ‘reasonable’ needs.
In essence, via this submission we will inform UKG of the level of financial support required to enable us to reset our financial baseline, to depict a baseline that is coordinated and conducive with St Helena’s current needs. It is important to note that this scenario does not include new initiatives, but is primarily focused on highlighting the level of funding required to improve the current level of services offered by SHG, which is essential if St Helena is to create a pathway to success.
This will be the core message of our submitted scenario, as it is vital that the UKG understands what is needed to enable us to proceed forward. Without a more representative budget, our ability to progress and develop at the pace required, to stem the flow of outward migration, increase visitor numbers and work towards building a vibrant economy, will simply be unattainable.
In addition to the challenges mentioned and the priority work streams being worked upon, there is another ingredient that is vital to our success, if we are to truly change our current trajectory of travel – and that is our participation. We need to become advocates and champions of TEAM ST HELENA!
We have the ability to band together, as is evident when we come together to raise funds for charitable or notable events, we proudly support our national teams or individuals when they represent St Helena internationally or indeed when we applaud and celebrate our children when participating in their sporting and festive events.
If, we all want what is best for St Helena; continually pursuing improved ways of working together is key to achieving this objective. We just need to make St Helena, our home, our priority.
As you contemplate your New Year’s resolutions for 2025, I would therefore encourage you to consider St Helena one of your top priorities. Whatever sector we work within, I believe, we owe it to our beautiful home, to be the person or the people that make the concerted effort necessary to invest in our island, so that we can collectively create a better quality of life for all.
With the festive season upon us, I will draw to a close by first acknowledging those that may well be lonely, sad, grieving or indeed unwell this Christmas, please take comfort in knowing that you are not alone and there are those around you who care. I would also like to pay tribute to those who are working over the festive season, I thank you for your service and dedication to the community and hope that you will have some time to spend quality time with your respective loved ones. Lastly, I would like to greet each and every one on St Helena. I am sending warmest wishes to you all for the festive season and I hope that you will have an enjoyable and a happy Christmas followed by a healthy, joyful and peaceful 2025.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
Julie Thomas
