With 16 weeks remaining for the full implementation of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) recommendations, the Government of the Virgin Islands has revealed that it has completed approximately 62 percent of the actions relating to the reforms.
Premier Dr. the Honourable Natalio Wheatley in a recent update revealed that his government divided the 50 COI recommendations and related initiatives into 131 actions as a better strategy to complete the outstanding reforms by the May 2024 deadline.
Of the 131, he noted that 81 have so far been completed while 7 were closed either because they are covered in other deliverables within the government’s COI framework, or because they are not in the framework.
The premier while noting that the majority of the remaining reforms are well on the way to a timely completion, revealed that they are now categorized into three groups.
Namely Green, Amber and Red.
Premier Wheatley listed 7 recommendations on the Green list and said they represent a significant portion of the actions that have not yet been completed – many of which are underway.
Once completed, the premier said it will take his government’s overall reform completion into the region of at least 75 percent.
The premier also mentioned the recommendations related to the Belonger and Residency Process, the Review of the Public Service Management Act the reforms relation the BVI’s election process.
As it relates to the Amber category, Premier Wheatley said it represents actions that are not overdue, but which require critical attention to ensure that they remain on track.
Meanwhile, in the Red category, Premier Wheatley noted that items listed under this section were not an indication that they were past due or failed.
He said the category acts as a flag to pay particular attention to those actions so that they can be brought in line within time.