Officials of the British and Anguilla Governments met for talks on March 25 and 26 at Paradise Cove for the annual review of the Strategic Country Programme extending from 2000/01 to 2004/05. The financial arrangement is the outcome of discussions aimed at establishing a mutually-agreed medium term action plan to guide achievement of the Government’s objectives for economic and social development and for democratic and accountable administration.

Under the programme Anguilla has been allocated approximately EC$33.2 million from funds managed by the Overseas Territories Department of the Department for International Development for the period 2000/01 to 2004/5.
Infrastructure projects completed as part of the Strategic Country Programme are Campus B of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School; renovation of the West End Primary School and the Welches Polyclinic. Capacity building initiatives include the COTGAR project, a new accounting system at the Treasury Department; support for the establishment of the Anguilla Health Authority and necessary implementation initiatives; and the conduct of a country poverty assessment to further the social objectives of the Anguilla Government.
The 2003 discussions focused on three broad areas. These were Governance (covering constitutional development, government administration, e-government services, legal, law enforcement, financial management and financial services); Physical Infrastructure and Capital Investment (covering economic planning and development, tourism, air and seaport development, environmental management and disaster management); and Social Development (covering health, education, youth development, prison and probation services, poverty eradication and human rights.
The Anguilla Government was represented at the talks by Permanent Services and various Department Heads. The UK delegation included various officials of the Overseas Territories Department, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department For International Development. The talks were chaired by Governor Peter Johnstone.

Local and UK officials. Front row: L-R: Governor Peter Johnstone, Marcel Fahie

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