🌴 Cayman Islands elected as president of UKOTA

The Cayman Islands has been elected to take over the presidency of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA). The decision was made during the association's annual general meeting last week, where the Cayman Islands took over from the Falkland Islands. As the president of the UKOTA Political Council, Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly will convene the annual meeting of all the political leaders of the territories in London later this year. This meeting will set the stage for the next Joint Ministerial Council with the UK government. 🇰🇾

During their tenure, the Cayman Islands plans to strengthen the initiatives that benefit all overseas territories and further strengthen their partnership with the UK. While no specific initiatives were mentioned, the Cayman Islands has pledged to uphold the strong relationships that connect the global British family and work collaboratively to address issues of common interest. The Cayman Islands Government Representative to the United Kingdom, Tasha Ebanks-Garcia, will steward the presidency for the duration of 2024, in accordance with UKOTA's constitution. 🌍

UKOTA has been instrumental in advocating for several key achievements for the territories, including securing full British Citizenship for the people of all the territories, facilitating visa-free entry to Europe, and establishing home fee status for students across the territories studying in the United Kingdom. The Cayman Islands was previously elected as president and chair of UKOTA in February 2018. 🎓