DNO interviews British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean

Having virtually presented his credentials to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit and President Charles Savarin on 28 September, 2021, British High Commissioner to Barbados  & the Eastern Caribbean His Excellency, Scott Furssedonn-Wood MVO, this week made his first official visit to Dominica.

Leading an eight-member delegation from January 10-14, the delegation toured  several of the United Kingdom funded projects in Dominica in addition to holding several high-level meetings with Government officials to strengthen  the bilateral relation between Dominica and the UK.

On January 13, during a nearly 30 minutes long exclusive interview with Dominica News Online (DNO), the High Commissioner was asked about several key areas such as the existing relations between Dominica and the UK, priority areas for enhancing social and economic cooperation, the return of Winfresh, the current COVID-19 pandemic and CREAD.

Below is the full interview conducted by Ronda Luke..

Your Excellency, Dominica and the United Kingdom have traditionally enjoyed exceptional relations premised on deep friendship, mutual respect and close cooperation. What is your assessment of the current status of that relationship and in what areas do you think it can be improved? 

As you’ve rightfully said, it’s a very  strong relationship and one with very deep roots. We’ve  been close friends for a very long time and our history ties together and the connections between the people have enriched both our economies for generations. So that partnership has really become very special indeed especially in the past few years and particularly since the horrific experience that Dominicans had first with Tropical Storm Erica then of course, with Hurricane Maria, in 2017. And we, as your friends, have been very proud to stand with Dominica as you’ve responded and recovered from that terrible experience. We’ve done all sorts of things through our development program. In fact, we’ve spent more UK aid per capita in Dominica than in any other country in the world and that’s a very significant demonstration of our commitment to your development and recovery from those storms. But particularly, it’s an investment in your vision and your Prime Minister’s vision for Dominica as the world’s first climate resilient country. We believe in that vision, and we’re proud to be your partners in all of that. So it’s a partnership that matters very much to us. I’m pleased to say it’s also a partnership that matters to your government and Prime Minister Skerritt was kind enough to say this week that the UK remains one of Dominica’s  most dependable development partners. So we do a lot of things together but there is no doubt more things we can do as well and one of the reasons I was here with my team this week, was partly to reaffirm our commitment to the partnership, but also to talk about how we can continue to do more and better things together in the future.

In September of 2021 you assumed the charge as the British high commissioner to Dominica, thus far, have you taken any new initiatives to help forge stronger ties and  enhance cooperation between the two countries?

Well, I’m pleased to say that I inherited a relationship that was in such good shape, because of all of the things that we’ve been doing together, and the way our governments have been working together. I had been to Dominica before I spent four years working for, for the Prince of Wales and I was with His Royal Highness when he came to Dominique in 2017, immediately after Hurricane Maria and I’ve never forgotten what I saw on that visit, because, we all read about hurricanes, we see them on the news, we understand that climate change is real and it poses a real danger to small island states in particular, but to come here and to see what you had been through,  to see the way that 96% I think, or 98% of your buildings had been damaged, the fact that over 220 % of your GDP had been wiped out and to see such devastation was really shocking and really brought home to me, as I know it did to the prince, that climate change poses an existential threat to small island, developing states. And so I came into this role at a time where climate change was absolutely top of our government’s agenda, because we were hosting last year of course, the Cop 26 Climate Summit in Scotland. We have the presidency of COP now for the coming years and, and climate change is a big priority for us internationally. So we’ve been very keen to show how the work we do with Dominica, which contributes to your climate resilience, is an example to the world. So in terms of new initiatives, I think for me what I’ve been very keen to do is ensure that Dominica’s story is taught. We were delighted that your Minister,  Frederick, was at COP in Glasgow and was able to tell Dominica’s story to the world there. We want to continue to use the example of what you went through here and how you’ve responded to it with such courage and determination as an example, to small island states around the world who face similar challenges to the ones that you face here.

As as has been indicated, your present visit to the island  will provide a strong opportunity to deepen the UK’s long standing bilateral relationship with Dominica and demonstrate the UK’s  commitment to the Nature Isle by highlighting some of your development projects on island. Tell us about some of the initiatives, and timelines for the completion of these projects. 

As I said, we’ve spent more UK aid money per capita in DOminica than anywhere else in the world and we’re doing some really fantastic things, I think, in partnership, very close partnership with your government and I’ve been really pleased this week that I’ve been able to go and see so many of the projects and talk about them. One thing that we’re doing and it’s about 70 million pounds or 100 million US dollars, hich is over 250 million EC dollars that we have spent in DOminica. We’re putting quite a lot of assistance into CREAD your own agency that’s responsible for coordinating and advancing Dominica’s  climate resilience agenda and we had a very good meeting this week with Ambassador Francine Baron. We’ve got a project to upgrade or help upgrade your water supply system and your sewage system, which I know was so badly damaged by Hurricane Maria. We are helping with some very significant road improvements as well on the Loubiere to Bagatelle road. We traveled that road ourselves in both directions today, and it’s clear that it’s a critical lifeline for so many communities in the south of Dominica. So projects are about to begin very, very soon, which will see an 11 kilometer stretch of that road widened and improved, made safer, made climate resilient and made more reliable, which I think will transform the lives of people who live in those communities. We are also doing something which I think is particularly exciting, which is investing in your geothermal energy project, which has fantastic potential not just to meet all of your own energy needs in a way which is sustainable, renewable, it’s cleaner energy, but will also enable you to produce enough to export to Martinique and other places which has the potential to earn you fantastic amounts of revenue for your economy. So I mean, that I think is a project that could really transform Dominica’s prospects in the future and I’m very proud that we’re supporting that. Health centers as well. There are five smart hospitals around Dominica these are existing health facilities, which have been through grant from the United Kingdom, working through PAHO, they’re being upgraded to be climate resilient, and more energy efficient, so that in the event of a disaster, these new facilities in Laplaine, Massacre, in Trafalgar, Grandbay and in Portsmouth they will stay open after Hurricane, they’ll continue to be able to provide critical health care to people who need it most. So that’s a fantastic initiative and we’re actually doing that at 55 facilities all around the Caribbean. Finally, we’re also investing in a youth skill development program, particularly targeting disadvantaged youth so that there’ll be more young people in the future who can play an active part in the economy of Dominica and contribute to the future prosperity of their country. So lots of things that we’re trying to help with, but taken all together, they contribute to your resilience, and they support your government’s own vision for the future development of Dominica.

It’s been two years since the UK left the EU. How has this departure affected relations between the UK and Small Island Developing states (SIDs) including Dominica?

The big thing that our exit from the European Union enables us to do is to forge our own free trade agreements with countries around the world. And we have one here in the Caribbean that we’ve negotiated between the United Kingdom and the countries of CARICOM of cariforum. That that UK cariforum EPA- Economic Partnership Agreement is now in place, it’s been agreed, it now needs to be ratified by governments around the region, most governments in the region have now ratified it, including Dominica and that EPA, that trade agreement really opens up a range of possibilities for us to trade more together as countries for businesses in the UK to export their goods and services to the countries of the Caribbean, and small businesses, large businesses in the Caribbean, gives them access to UK markets for their own goods and services. So I think there’s a fantastic opportunity in the years ahead for us all to make full use of this economic partnership agreement to do more trade between the private sectors of our countries, to contribute to our shared prosperity. We do lots between governments and as I’ve described, our government is doing lots to directly support projects in Dominica, but by trading together, doing more trade, we can we can increase our shared prosperity, and also, at the same time, increase the sort of economic resilience of a country like Dominica  by diversifying your economy giving you more routes to prosperity and that can only be a good thing.

One of the issues that we currently share in common across the entire globe,  outside of COVID-19, is that of climate change. The United Kingdom has given support to the Climate Resilience Execution Agency for Dominica (CREAD) in its efforts to implement Dominica’s climate resilience recovery. As Dominica moves to become the first climate- resilient nation in the world, what are some of the recommendations you would make to the government to help them achieve that goal and how is the UK ready to further assist in this endeavour.

It’s a remarkable initiative. It takes that vision that you have to become the world’s first climate resilient nation, and puts that into practice. Its puts the the mechanisms, the policies in place to enable you to realize that vision and I think particularly under Ambassador Barons leadership, it’s been really transformative in that regard and we’ve been very glad to be a key partner for CREAD together with the Canadians who also fund CREAD and it’s a great partnership. I think the challenge now, of course, is to keep going, to ensure that some of these big projects come to fruition and that the progress is made and certainly COVID, which we’ve all been struggling with over the past 18 months or more, has made a lot of that harder and so the progress has not been made on some projects in the way that I know everyone would want it to have been made and that’s entirely understandable. So I think there’s now an opportunity to push things forward and make sure the big projects get done, and we’ll certainly be working closely with CREAD on a number of those things. It’s also really important to ensure that everything that CREAD does is genuinely sustainable so that beyond the life of CREAD these changes, these policies, these initiatives are properly embedded in the way that this country runs, so that forevermore, you will continue to operate in a way which contributes and sustains  that goal. And then the final thing I would say, and this is as much a responsibility I suppose for us as it is for you, we need to make sure that CREAD’s example is properly captured and shared because what you’ve done here is as I say, it’s an example to the world. Not just all the things that have gone well, but also the lessons that you’ve learned along the way, because you’ve tried to do something here in becoming the world’s first climate resilient nation, which, no where else has done before, so we’ve got to make sure that the story is told and understood and that others are able to learn from your experience. Certainly other  small island states in the Caribbean, but well beyond those countries in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, who face the same sorts of challenges that you face and will I know be able to benefit hugely from from the experience that you’ve that you’ve been through here?

Trade and investment are key to economic recovery after the pandemic as well as the creation of jobs and growth in both the UK and Dominica.  In 2015, Dominica lost its largest international market -WINFRESH (UK) – which suspended buying bananas because of quality issues caused by Black Sigatoka. As the British High Commissioner, do you think it is still possible for Windward Islands bananas to regain access to the UK market?  If so, how can this be accomplished?

So we talked about the economic partnership agreement. And I think that absolutely, as you say, creates that framework and opportunity for trade between our countries to drive the sort of economic recovery that  you’ve described. Under the terms of our economic partnership agreement, Dominica and all the  countries of Cariforum, you have quota free access to the UK market for all goods and that includes bananas, of course. At the same time, we’ve maintained that most favored nation rates on bananas, and I think I’m just looking here, I think it’s 95 pounds sterling, per per 1000 kilos of fresh bananas, in order to maintain the preferential margin of countries such as Dominika, who are trading with us through the economic partnership agreement. So the framework is there for exporters to access the market, and that’s for all goods, but bananas is a good example of it. At the same time,  we have to maintain our own, we’ve got  high standards on plant health, phytosanitary standards in the UK and  we’ve got to ensure that we protect our own country from any plant disease risks, and I think that relates to the issue that you’ve particularly raised. However, those issues can be addressed, the framework remains there for a company selling bananas, or indeed anything to access our market and I hope that those issues can be resolved. I think the big thing that the EPA does, as well, though, is encouraged for diversification. Because, through that partnership agreement, people exporting can export all sorts of goods or services into our market. So I hope it will encourage people to think more more widely about the sorts of goods and services that can be produced here in Dominica taking advantage of your extraordinary natural resources and the talents of your people to produce goods and services, which can be sold into the UK, and at the same time can create opportunities for small business people here, entrepreneurs to do well for themselves and also contribute to the economic recovery of Dominica, that you’ve mentioned.

Can you outline some of the measures which the UK has taken or will take to cushion the negative financial effect of COVID-19 on SIDs which you share bilateral relations with? 

Certainly, COVID has had a devastating effect on on all of us; all of our economies have suffered, but we’re very conscious that many small island states around the world have borne the brunt, particularly acutely, even when the public health impact in some of these countries has been relatively less than in some other parts of the world and in Europe, perhaps the economic impact has very often been been extraordinarily serious and severe, particularly in economies, which were very reliant on tourism which has been reduced very significantly. So we’re very conscious of that, we’re very conscious of the importance of that to small island developing states. Therefore we’ve been a major contributor internationally, both to the public health response to COVID. We were one of the largest single contributors to theCOV-VAX facility that provides fair and equitable vaccine access to countries around. We’ve injected 548 million pounds into this initiative thus far and a lot of those vaccines have come to Dominica. We’ve also provided some additional vaccines here to Dominica bilaterally, as well as to other countries around the world. So, we’ve made our contribution to the public health effort, but on the economic front, as you mentioned, we’ve also tried to address that, too. We’ve spent around 5 billion pounds globally on the COVID response, but part of that has been about doubling our support to the poorest countries in the world, who have been most badly affected economically. And one of the things that we’ve done is to lead the way on this effort for debt suspension for 77 of the poorest countries in the world who’ve experienced such difficulties economically as a consequence of COVID. So we’ve tried to do lots of these things to address the current crisis. At the same time, all of the things that we’re doing in a country like Dominica investing in your energy and your young people, in your infrastructure, that should all contribute to the long term economic resilience of your economy so that any future shocks like COVID, it would be much easier for you to endure those shocks because your economy will be stronger, it will be more more diverse. So, something like COVID was an experience like no other, but I think we’ve learnt a lot of lessons from it. We’ve learned how to respond; we’ve learned how to build long term resilience and I hope that you will continue to be a partner with Dominica as with other small island developing states to help maintain and strengthen that resilience for the future.

As a representative of the UK government, do you think enough progress has been made over the years in integrating Caribbean immigrants into British society? Can you point to some areas which still need to be improved? 

You’re right, a large number of people from the Caribbean have made their homes in the UK over many, many years, and when we talk about the Windrush generation and the people who arrived in the UK in the late 1940s and through the 50s, those people have established communities in the UK which have made a profound contribution to our society and economy. There were, of course, people from the Caribbean who came to the UK much earlier than that. But you know, today Britain is a diverse, multicultural society and in many ways, our diversity is one of the greatest strengths of our society. It’s something that many of us take great pride in; the fact that we are a society of such,  different cultures, different perspectives, people from different places around the world. And that, I think, is something that we have to cherish and continue to strengthen, but also to ensure that people feel that their contribution to the life of our own country is valued and cherished as it should be. I’m sure there’s still more we need to do on all of that, but I think it is one of the things that marks the UK out as a society, is that diversity. You only got to walk through the streets of London, to  see that and to realize that and it’s a wonderful thing. It’s certainly one of the things that I’m most proud of when I think about what contemporary British society is like.