In a placing improvement for UK-Dominican relations, Preet Kaur Gill MP is chairing an All-Occasion Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Commonwealth of Dominica.
The APPG will spotlight Dominica’s climate resilience initiatives, deepen cultural and enterprise ties, and enhance consciousness of Small Island Growing States.
Daniel Kawczynski MP, Daybreak Butler MP and Kate Osamor MP are serving because the APPG’s Vice Chairs. Lord Randall of Uxbridge and Lisa Cameronha MP have additionally change into members.
Notably, Dominica, a serious participant within the Caribbean, was promoted as a needed companion to the UK within the APPG’s inaugural assembly on 12 December.
The APPG will facilitate cultural, social, and enterprise engagement between the UK and Dominica, together with giving a political highlight to the nation.
Janet Charles, the Appearing Excessive Commissioner for Dominica, expressed her assist for the initiative and emphasised the significance of the APPG for drawing consideration to Small Island Growing States (SIDs).
“Small islands are sometimes forgotten, regardless of the disproportionate impression that they really feel from local weather change. So this initiative can be massively useful and may help Dominica to be extra fiscally and economically resilient,” she stated.
“I’m grateful for this chance for Dominica and look ahead to working with UK MPs and Lords to showcase Dominica,” she added.
Gill, the Labour MP for Birmingham, Edgbaston serves as Shadow Minister for Main Care and Public Well being. In her earlier function as Shadow Secretary for Worldwide Growth, she expressed her assist for the APPG and her eagerness to work to advertise Small Island Growing States, and raised the impression of local weather change in these international locations.
“The UK’s relationship with Small Island Growing States is basically essential for the way we confront local weather change and different world challenges,” she stated.
“As a Commonwealth State, our relationship with Dominica issues. This APPG can proceed to strengthen our Commonwealth ties,” she added. “I’m excited to get to work.”
APPGs are casual teams consisting of Members of Parliament and the Home of Lords which meet to debate, acquire assist for and analysis sure points.
APPGs should characteristic MPs or Lords from totally different political events in cross-party dialogue. Vice Chair Kawczynski is the Conservative MP for Shrewsbury & Atcham and brings expertise chairing or vice chairing a number of related APPGs together with the St. Kitts and Nevis APPG and Brazil APPG.
Vice Chair Kate Osamor MP, the Labour MP for Edmonton, previously served as Shadow Secretary of State for Worldwide Growth. She brings worldwide affairs expertise to the APPG.
Daybreak Butler MP, an officer for the Dominica APPG, previously served as Shadow Minister for Ladies and Equalities. The Labour MP for Brent Central, Butler brings expertise chairing or vice chairing a number of related APPGs together with the APPG for Jamaica and the APPG for the Caribbean.
APPGs embrace Members from various and assorted ideological backgrounds and embrace Members from totally different political events, to realize the angle of various politicians no matter social gathering traces.
The assembly on 12 December served because the APPG’s inaugural assembly, required for the APPG to take impact.
Regardless of the island’s small measurement, Dominica punches above its weight in international affairs. As a Commonwealth Member and Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM) member, Dominica sits on the intersection of various regional and world partnerships and has deep worldwide connections.
Dominica can be a member of the Organisation of Japanese Caribbean States (OECS), showcasing the nation’s engagement with, and management in, Caribbean affairs.
The UK’s 2023 Built-in Assessment, the foremost international coverage and nationwide safety doc put out by the UK Authorities, advised enhancing and deepening UK–Caribbean relations. Drawing upon the Built-in Assessment to drive its international coverage, the UK Overseas, Commonwealth & Growth Workplace put Dominica on the centre of its area improvement partnership.
The APPG hopes to attract extra consideration and assist for Dominica, given its centrality to the Caribbean area and UK international coverage partnerships. The APPG will give attention to Dominica’s trailblazing initiatives on local weather change, renewable vitality, financial diversification, and agricultural improvement. The island has vowed to change into the world’s first climate-resilient nation.
The creation of the APPG comes on the heels of rising world consciousness of the significance of the Caribbean in parliamentary, international coverage and safety circles each inside and past the UK. An APPG for St Kitts and Nevis was established in February 2023, and has already resulted in a parliamentary delegation visiting the island.
The Caribbean APPG has additionally been influential in bringing the Caribbean to the desk in conversations with the UK Authorities.
The Caribbean is on the forefront of conversations round local weather change and sustainability, notably concerning the destiny of Small Island Growing States (SIDs). SIDs bear a disproportionate impression of local weather change and endure from pure disasters.
Nonetheless, states like Dominica have proved adaptable and proactive by constructing local weather resilient infrastructure and houses. These constructions have withstood these disasters, offering an instance to the remainder of the world for the right way to adapt nationwide infrastructure to face off the impression of local weather change.
Equally, Dominica’s building of a geothermal energy plant has garnered the eye and reward and assist of the UK.
The APPG goals to realize visibility and assist for future local weather resilience initiatives, as these initiatives are arising with inventive options to world challenges however may very well be receiving extra consideration from developed nations.
The members of the APPG will proceed to fulfill throughout the brand new 12 months to encourage and additional develop UK-Dominican relations.
