Transparency data

Overseas Territories: objectives 2018 to 2019

Published 20 September 2018

1. Overview

As set out in the UK’s Overseas Territories white paper, the UK has specific constitutional and legal responsibilities for its 14 Overseas Territories. This includes a responsibility to ensure their security and good governance, which we work on through a partnership approach based on shared values and a right to self-determination. As part of this work, and in support of our strategic objectives, the FCO is working to develop good governance, robust public financial management, sound economic planning, and effective crisis preparedness. This work helps to support objectives under the National Security Strategy and the UK Aid Strategy.

2. FCO objectives on Overseas Territories

In the White Paper, the Government set out its strategy for working with its Overseas Territories. This focused on 3 practical policy goals:

• to strengthen the engagement and interaction between the UK and the Territories
• to work with the Territories to strengthen good governance arrangements, public financial management and economic planning, where this is necessary
• to improve the quality and range of support available to the Territories

As part of this work, and specifically in support of goal two, the FCO, working with the Overseas Territories, and with cross-Whitehall partners, seeks to improve security and governance standards and support the rule of law in the Overseas Territories governments.

3. Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Overseas Territories

Montserrat, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha, and the Pitcairn Islands are all Overseas Territories (OTs) which are eligible for Official Development Assistance. This ensures their governments can provide effective public services to their citizens as efficiently as possible. It helps us to work in cooperation with the four Overseas Territories governments to: reduce their dependency due to their remote locations, strengthen their economies, and support them to upskill their workforce to fill critical roles.

All 4 OTs are also vulnerable to financial instability and natural disasters. Official Development Assistance helps ensure physical access to the islands and essential services such as health and social care, education, transport and policing, as well as support for vulnerable people including the elderly, low-earners, physically and mentally disabled people, and children at risk of harm. This helps us contribute to advancement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in these four Overseas Territories.

The UK’s small and isolated Territories are vulnerable to natural disasters. The main threats to the Territories are hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis. There is also a risk of man-made disasters, in particular air and sea accidents and environmental disasters such as oil spills. As such, support to Montserrat, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha, and the Pitcairn Islands in their disaster preparedness is necessary to ensure they can respond well in the event of a crisis or natural disaster.

The Overseas Territories programme is funded by a blend of Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) and non-ODA funds. ODA scoring within the programme is limited to ODA-eligible activities in the four eligible Territories.

4. Overseas Territories project objectives

The FCO programme this year will concentrate on:

• increased capacity so the Overseas Territories are better able to respond to, and recover from, a crisis or natural disaster

5. Overseas Territories programme during financial year 2017 to 2018

In 2017 to 2018 this programme benefitted ODA-eligible OTs through contributions to multi-year programmes of work in disaster resilience and public sector reform. This activity achieved the following outcomes:

• ODA-eligible OTs have more effective plans and additional capacity to prepare for, respond to and recover from a natural disaster or crisis. An annual course has been established with Bournemouth University to build the capability of staff working on in Disaster Management and Preparedness across the Caribbean
• the National Audit Office provided technical, one-to-one support on drafting a new audit act to the Montserrat External Audit Office in September 2017
• the UK OT online portal was launched in July 2017, providing a space for OTs to share good practice and exchange ideas on public financial management, promoting cross-Territory communication between professional counterparts