NAME CHANGE TO PREMIER’S OFFICE HAS TAKEN EFFECT: – The public is reminded that all provisions under the new Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007 have taken effect. As a result the Chief Minister’s Office has been officially renamed the Premier’s Office. Persons are therefore reminded to address all relevant correspondences to Premier’s Office instead of the Chief Minister’s Office. For more information please contact the Premier’s Office on 494-3701 extension 2152
Source: GIS

HIS EXCELLENCY GOVERNOR DAVID PEAREY APPOINTS MR. RALPH T. O’NEAL AS NEW PREMIER: – On Wednesday, August 22, His Excellency the Governor Mr. David Pearey appointed Honourable Ralph Telford O’Neal, OBE as the first Premier of the British Virgin Islands at a brief ceremony at the Governor’s Office in accordance with section 52 (1)a of the Virgin Islands Constitution Order 2007.

Speaking briefly at the ceremony, Governor Pearey said that he was exceedingly pleased to be able to officiate at the ceremony of the BVI’s first Premier. “I wish Mr. O’Neal and his government every success in the fulfilment of his weighty and important responsibilities,” the Governor said.

The new Premier thanked the Governor for the appointment and the people of the Virgin Islands for the confidence placed in his party that allows him to become the first Premier of the British Virgin Islands.
Source: GIS

Rockerfeller Donates Sandy Cay: – Executors of the Estate of the late Laurance S. Rockefeller have confirmed their intention to transfer Sandy Cay to the BVI Government under the management of the BVI National Parks Trust as a permanent protected area.   The formal transfer of Sandy Cay to the people of the Virgin Islands will be complete within the next 6 months, after the remaining details are finalized.

For almost four decades Mr. Rockefeller personally owned and managed Sandy Cay, which is a 14-acre undeveloped island located between Tortola and Jost Van Dyke. He maintained the island very much like a small park that was opened to visitors who arrived by boat. When the transfer is finalized, Sandy Cay will be preserved as a combination botanic garden, nature reserve, and low-key recreational area. This will add an important dimension to the BVI’s overall tourism product as an attraction for eco-tourists.

Since 2003, the Foundation has provided funding for a major four-year project that focused on strengthening the institutional framework for protected area management in the BVI.  Under the direction of the Island Resources Foundation, working in partnership with the National Parks Trust, a series of pre-transfer requirements was executed as benchmarks in moving towards the donation of Sandy Cay.

These included the enactment of a new National Parks Act passed by the Legislative Council in 2006, drafting of Regulations to the Act, development of a System Plan for BVI Protected Areas, approval of operational procedures for the National Parks Trust Board of Directors, and the establishment of new financial management guidelines for the Parks Trust.
Source, Chief Minister’s Territorial Address, GIS