Policy paper

UK–St Helena development partnership summary, July 2023

Published 17 July 2023

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

Introduction

The International Development Strategy (IDS) places development at the heart of the UK’s foreign policy. It sets out a new approach to development, anchored in patient, long-term partnerships tailored to the needs of the countries we work with, built on mutual accountability and transparency. This approach goes beyond aid and brings the combined power of the UK’s global economic, scientific, security and diplomatic strengths to our development partnerships. Our 4 priorities are to deliver honest, reliable investment, provide women and girls with the freedom they need to succeed, step up our life-saving humanitarian work, and take forward our work on climate change, nature and global health. The Integrated Review Refresh (IR23) reiterates that sustainable development is central to UK foreign policy and sets out how the UK will go further and faster on development to reduce poverty and reinvigorate progress towards the SDGs. This Country Development Partnership Summary details how the IDS and IR23 will be put into practice on St Helena.

Country context

St Helena is an internally self-governing British Overseas Territory. It has a population of approximately 4,400 people and is located in the South Atlantic, 1,200 miles off the South African coast. Most of those who live on St Helena are British nationals.

The island faces many of the challenges common to small island states. These include a narrow economy, import dependency and lack of the human and financial resources needed to invest in economic diversification. Access and transport challenges result in high import and export costs for goods.

The UK has responsibility under international law for meeting St Helena’s reasonable assistance needs. To meet these responsibilities, the UK provides financial assistance to ensure reasonable standards of health, education, policing and other essential services. The UK also has a range of other responsibilities, including the maintenance of good governance and security.

Until 2017, the main method of access to St Helena was by ship with the journey routinely taking 5 days from Cape Town. In 2010, the UK Government agreed the funding of an airport for St Helena. Following construction of the airport, a weekly commercial air service to St Helena began in October 2017.

St Helena introduced a ministerial system of government in 2021. Under this system, a Chief Minister is the leader of the government, with a cabinet of ministers assigned to specified portfolios. Ministers have direct responsibility and accountability for the services delivered by their portfolios. Ministers in the newly elected government set out their vision for St Helena in March 2022, focussed on ‘a sustainable environment that creates opportunity and inspires social and economic progress, ensuring a better quality of life for all’. The UK Government works closely with St Helena’s leadership to support them in achieving these and other goals.

Why and how: the UK’s development offer with St Helena

The UK’s obligation to the Overseas Territories derives from Article 73 of the United Nations’ Charter: ‘to promote to the utmost, within the system of international peace and security established by the present Charter, the well-being of the inhabitants of these territories’. In a 2012 White Paper, the UK committed to meeting the reasonable assistance needs of its OTs where financial self-sufficiency is not possible. UK support to St Helena through Official Development Assistance ensures that these reasonable assistance needs are fulfilled.

Meeting these needs is primarily achieved through the Financial Aid Programme (further details below). This programme provides funding directly to the St Helena Government and is focussed on securing strong outcomes in all areas of government intervention.

In particular, the UK’s development offer is focussed on supporting Saint Helena to become a more financially independent state. The path to greater financial independence is primarily through increased private sector investment (internal and external) and utilising the opportunities which have been created by the building of the airport, especially through tourism.

Assistance is provided not just through FCDO but through other government departments as needed. For example, the Ministry of Justice has provided assistance to the St Helena Government in the design of its new prison and the Cabinet Office provided specialist financial expertise when a key external infrastructure partner collapsed. The UK Health Security Agency provides advice and support to Saint Helena health leads.

Saint Helena currently generates only 21% of its energy needs from its renewable sources, but is committed to increase this to at least 80% over the next few years. The UK government is committed to assisting Saint Helena to meet this target.

Who we work with

The Governor of St Helena represents the UK and is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government. The Governor has specific constitutional responsibilities including internal security (including police), justice and external affairs.

The key partners for the UK are the St Helena government itself, both at Ministerial and official level. However, the UK also engages with civil society organisations, representatives of business and other key partners as required.

Key programmes

The FCDO’s Financial Aid Programme bridges the gap between the spending required to meet St Helena’s essential needs and the amount of revenue the St Helena Government is able to raise itself. In particular, it supports education, social services and health, safeguarding, police, environmental support and ensuring access is maintained through St Helena Airport. Key recent achievements include maintaining the healthcare system through the Covid period, embedding strong partnerships with UK-based expertise and maintaining air access since 2017.

The FCDO’s £30 million Economic Development Investment Programme supports economic development on St Helena through infrastructure development. This infrastructure is primarily developed with the aim of providing increased economic and social development opportunities for St Helena. Key recent achievements include the installation of rockfall protection, the building of new roads providing better access between key parts of the island and developing new port facilities in Ruperts Valley, with the aim of freeing up space in Jamestown ahead of future redevelopments.

The St Helena Airport Project has transformed access to the island. A journey to the island previously took 5 days by ship and now takes approximately 6 hours. The airport was the largest ever single UK capital investment in an Overseas Territory. The airport is key to St Helena’s development going forwards, both in terms of developing the tourism economy and through other economic opportunities which it will provide. In addition, the airport also provides a route through which emergency medical evacuations can take place and has already saved lives.

The UK has also provided support through a number of other programmes. The Conflict Stability and Security Fund has supported projects ranging from improved police facilities to the nurturing and development of St Helena’s cloud forest. Blue Belt and Darwin funding have supported projects including marine research, environmental mapping and the protection of invertebrates.

The UK monitors its programmes with annual reviews and programme completion reviews, in compliance with the relevant programme management frameworks of the responsible departments. As part of these monitoring processes, specialist expertise, usually from outside the programmes themselves will be brought in to scrutinise programme effectiveness against defined objectives.