MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Liberation Day Speech

ADDRESS BY THE REPRESENTATIVE
AT THE FALKLAND ISLANDS GOVERNMENT ANNUAL RECEPTION
14TH JUNE 2001

My Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is a pleasure to address you at this our annual Reception and to see so many familiar faces. You are all very welcome.

We meet at an interesting time. The United Kingdom has just held its General Election. On 22nd November, Islanders will vote for a new Legislature and a referendum on Constitutional Reform will be held at the same time.

The new Legislative Council will inherit a more stable political situation and more optimistic economic prospects than was the case four years ago. During the last year in particular, the July 1999 Joint Statement with Argentina has enabled us to concentrate on developing our democracy and economy to face the challenges of the future.

With this in mind, we held our first Falkland Islands Economic Forum in London last July. Our aim was to explore future policies for sustainable development and diversification with an invited audience from business, commerce, NGOs and academia. The keynote address was given by the then Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, John Battle MP and the event was generously sponsored by a number of businesses both in the Islands and here in the UK.

That, highly successful, event served to impart details of "The Islands Plan" ? a three year programme for the provision of Government services which was published in February this year. It is also the first comprehensive blueprint for development since Lord Shackleton's Report in the early 1980's. Its aim is to achieve sustainable development, safeguard the natural environment and reverse the population decline in Camp.

Elements of the Plan are already being implemented. A new abattoir, built to European Union standards, will open in August. It will enable us to supply meat products for export. We have begun commercial farming of reindeer, with the arrival of fawns from South Georgia and progress continues towards achieving organic status for our farm products within two years. There is also a growing interest in the purchase of natural products found in the Islands.

Additionally, the Falkland Islands Development Corporation is working with the business community, farmers and outside advisors to create a new brand device for s