MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands and St Helena will be participating in the Virtual Island Summit

The Falklands-based South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI) and the St Helena Research Institute (SHRI) have been working together with the Falkland Islands’ Government

St Helena and the Falkland Islands will be joining over 100 islands in the Virtual Island Summit. The Summit (https://www.islandinnovation.co/summit/) is a free online event aimed at connecting islands across the globe to share common experiences through a digital platform.

The Summit is run by Island Innovation, an advisory and media organization which brings together the private sector, governments, NGOs and academia to advance innovation for sustainability in island communities worldwide.

The Summit runs from Monday, 7, through to Sunday, 13 September 2020. It seeks to cover all 17 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ sustainable-development-goals/) in addition to other topics pertinent to island communities. Key areas of interest are island sustainability, prosperous communities and climate change.

The Falklands-based South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI) and the St Helena Research Institute (SHRI) have been working together with the Falkland Islands’ Government and supported by Enterprise St Helena and SURE SA Ltd to host the panel discussion.

The discussion titled ‘Innovation and Sustainable Development in the South Atlantic’ will take place online on Friday, 11 September, at 12 noon GMT. The islands of the South Atlantic very rarely feature in global forae. They span vast distances and have very small population sizes, yet their isolation arguably drives innovation and there are many examples of island-led innovation in the region. The session will focus on Innovation and Sustainable Development in the two islands: St Helena and the Falklands.

The panel is comprised of island-based politicians and experts, who will showcase some exciting case studies that demonstrate how, with populations of 4,000 (St Helena) and 3,000 (Falklands): knowledge economies are being developed that include the global export of technical skills; renewable energy goals are being set that have the potential to be world-leading, and new fiber optic cable projects are driving change and broadening the scope for sustainable development.

Sponsors:

• Falkland Islands Government (FIG)
• St Helena Research Institute
• Enterprise St Helena
• South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI)

Moderator:

• Tara Pelembe, Deputy Director Innovation, South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI)

Speakers:

• Dr Paul Brickle, Executive Director, South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI)
• Glenn Ross, Power Station Manager, Falkland Islands Government (FIG)
• The Honorable Mark Pollard MLA, Falkland Islands Government
• Wendy Benjamin, Director of Education & Employment, St Helena Government
• The Honorable Russell Yon, Member of Legislative Council, St Helena Government
• Darrin Henry, Entrepreneur and Co-creator of the Inside St Helena App

Session Duration: 1.5 hours

Likewise, on September 12, the discussion is titled, Brexit and Beyond: Global and Local Challenges in the UK Overseas Territories, and MLA Tesly Barkman will be representing the Falklands,

The impacts of Brexit are far and wide. As with Britain, its Overseas Territories have broken formal links with the European Union and are part of the transition period until the end of 2020. It is now incumbent on the Territories, with the support of Britain, to recalibrate their relations not only with the EU, but with the wider world and Britain itself. Islands closer to the British mainland also need to adjust to the new reality and be conscious of how their own vulnerabilities can be mitigated.

Sponsor:

University of the West of England

Moderator:

• Dr Peter Clegg, Head of Department Health and Social Sciences, University of the West of England

Speakers:

• Benito Wheatley, Special Envoy, British Virgin Islands Government
• Dr Kate Matheson, Department of Health and Social Sciences, University of the West of England
• André EBanks, Head of the Cayman Islands Government Office in the UK
• The Honorable Teslyn Barkman MLA, Falkland Islands Government

Session Duration: 1.5 hours