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St Helena celebrated Commonwealth Day 2026 on Monday 9 March with assemblies at St Helena Secondary School (SHSS) and the Key Stage 1 and 2 schools, as well as a flag-raising ceremony held at Anne’s Place, Jamestown. This year’s theme, ‘Unlocking opportunities together for a prosperous Commonwealth’, focused on partnership, sustainable economic growth, and skill development, particularly for youth and women across the 56 member countries.

To open the ceremony at Anne’s Place, the Speaker of the St Helena Legislative Council and St Helena Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Branch President, Maureen Thompson, delivered a welcoming speech. The speech highlighted the island’s participation in the upcoming flag-raising ceremony at the Palace of Westminster and highlighted that St Helena’s future prosperity relies on international collaboration and sustainable development. Central to the message was a call to empower the island’s youth, preparing them to lead on the world stage in fields ranging from governance to technology and sports.

HE Governor Nigel Phillips CBE read the message from Head of the Commonwealth, His Majesty King Charles III. Chief Minister, Hon Dr Rebecca Cairns-Wicks MBE, read a message from the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, Hon Shirley Botchwey, and Vice Chairperson of the Youth Parliament, Lilli Adams, read the Commonwealth Affirmation.

Shortly after, Speaker Thompson raised the Commonwealth Flag as part of the ‘Fly a Flag for the Commonwealth’ initiative. This initiative aims to inspire participants to join with others throughout the Commonwealth, a family of 56 member states, which has a combined population of 2.7 billion, with more than 60% aged 29 or under, representing around a third of the world’s Commonwealth’s population.

Speaker Thompson commented:

“Today, we join hands with 56 nations in celebrating our shared journey, our enduring values, and our vision for a brighter future. Our prosperity is built on collaboration, it is about partnership both within our community and with our friends across the globe to invest in our infrastructure, our sustainable development, and our people.”

To commemorate the 77th anniversary of the Commonwealth of Nations and to discuss its past accomplishments and ongoing aspirations, guest speakers Mr Jonathan Passaportis of St Helena Tourism, Youth Entrepreneur Mr Louis Youde, and Zac Bargo of the St Helena Youth Parliament were invited to speak at the ceremony.

Councillor Ronald Coleman MLC concluded the ceremony with thanks to HE the Governor, speakers, attendees, Anne’s Place staff, and the working group, marking the end of the Commonwealth Day 2026 event.

The Commonwealth Day message from the Head of the Commonwealth was read by Members of the Legislative Council at schools across the island. Minister Andrew Turner and Councillor Julie Thomas MLC attended the assembly at SHSS whilst Councillor Robert Midwinter MLC attended the assembly at the Key Stage 1 School, and Councillor Dr Corinda Essex MLC attended the Key Stage 2 assembly.

St Helena Government UK Representative, Mrs Kedell Worboys MBE, was also invited to attend several engagements to commemorate Commonwealth Day in the UK.

Representing the island in London, Mrs Worboys, attended a series of high-profile events to mark the occasion, beginning with a flag-raising ceremony at Portcullis House. This was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates on behalf of the Government and people of St Helena. After attending the Commonwealth Day Observance at Westminster Abbey, Mrs Worboys concluded the day’s commemorations at a reception hosted by HM The King at St James’s Palace.

Deputy Speaker of the St Helena Legislative Council, Connie Johnson, Councillor Dennis Leo MLC and Legislative Council Office Assistant, Marita Bagley, who are in the UK attending the Westminster Seminar attended the Flag-Raising Ceremony, where Connie read an extract from “The House of the Commonwealth” and the Commonwealth Day Observance at Westminster Abbey.

Photos

Speaker Maureen Thompson delivering a welcome speech

HE the Governor reading the Commonwealth Day message from HM the King

Chief Minister Cairns-Wicks reading the message from the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Shirley Botchwey

Vice Chairperson of the St Helena Youth Parliament reading the Commonwealth Confirmation

The Flag-raising Ceremony

Guest speaker, Jonathan Passaportis

Guest speaker, Louis Youde

Guest Speaker, Zac Bargo

Invited guests at Anne’s Place

Minister for Education, Skills and Employment, Andrew Turner, at the SHSS assembly

Deputy Speaker, Connie Johnson, reading an extract from “The House of the Commonwealth”

#StHelena #CommonwealthDay

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A Stronger, Fairer Future for St Helena: Government Sets Out New Vision Strategy

St Helena has come a long way in recent years with the successful delivery of some key projects and policies, including the delivery of a new port in Rupert’s, improved road infrastructure, the recovery of tourism through the Tourism Recovery Strategy, internationally recognised marine and terrestrial conservation initiatives, and the commencement of primary re-organisation.

Despite these wins, St Helena still faces a complex set of interlinked social, economic, and environmental challenges that threaten the island’s long-term sustainability and the well-being of our community. Rising costs of living, an aging and declining population, labour shortages, fragile national infrastructure, and declining trust in institutions have eroded public confidence and reinforced a cycle of uncertainty and outward migration. These dynamics reinforce one another. Population decline reduces the labour force and tax base; weak systems undermine confidence; environmental degradation threatens water, food and health; and uncertainty drives outward migration.

The Government is developing its new Vision and Strategy setting out a clear path to first stabilise and start to reverse these trends and build a fairer, more resilient, and forward-looking St Helena. We believe in a community where every person is valued, has the opportunity to live a healthy and fulfilling life, and where families, businesses, and the environment can thrive together.

Our vision is for a fair, inclusive, more resilient and forward-looking St Helena, confident in its future, responsible in its stewardship and united in purpose to become a sustainable thriving community with people at its heart.

We recognise that rebuilding confidence will require phased reform, and a clear focus on what is affordable and what can be delivered sustainably within our financial and institutional capacity. We also recognise the increasing costs of service delivery, as a result of our aging population and shrinking worforce as well as the impact of increasing international costs, for example supply of pharmaceuticals. This means we need to look carefully at the sustainability of our current range of service delivery.

The strategy will be built around three themes that have been shaped by the voices and experiences of St Helenians across the island:

  1. Stabilising the Population and Labour Market: Creating conditions for people to stay, return, and contribute through fulfilling careers, skills development, and fair access to services.
  2. Protecting Living Standards and Core Services: Ensuring immediate support for those under pressure, while reforming health, social care, education, and infrastructure for long-term sustainability.
  3. Enabling Sustainable, Locally Driven Growth: Diversifying the economy, investing in digital and physical infrastructure, and developing productive economic sectors which safeguard the environment as a strategic asset, creating an enabling environment to accelerate opportunities for growth.

Key actions include aligning education and workforce planning with current and future needs, commitment to partnership with the community in preventative healthcare, affordable utilities, and public service modernisation. The strategy also recognises the need for incremental tax and revenue reform and disciplined public financial management. The strategy will support initiatives already in train, such as the continued implementation of the Tourism Development Programme,  Company Registry and Financial Services Development Programme, and completion of the long overdue immigration reforms. It also seeks to explore new areas of goverment intervention, with fresh thinking already commenced with the fishery, in high value agriculture, wharf redevelopment, and on expanding the St Helena Research Institute.

Implementation will be phased, with clear milestones and measurable outcomes, which will be shared pending the outcome of budget discussions with the UK Government. Government will communicate openly about progress and constraints, adapt as needed based on evidence and lived experience, and work in partnership across portfolios, communities, business, and civil society.

Government is clear that St Helena cannot only tax its way out of structural challenges by increasing the burden on wages in a shrinking population. Long-term sustainability requires a broader and fairer revenue base, improved compliance, and growth-linked revenues, alongside disciplined public financial management.

By focusing first on stabilising people’s lives and rebuilding trust, while strengthening the foundations of our economy, services, and environment, we will restore confidence and set St Helena on a more secure and hopeful path, step by step, and together.

Policy Priorities 2026–2029

Following on from the above, the Government will focus on nine cross government policy priorities:

1. Stabilise the population and labour market

2. Protect health and social care and improve prevention outcomes

3. Reform education and build the future workforce

4. Reduce the cost of living through investment in utilities and infrastructure

5. Enable sustainable, locally driven economic growth

6. Grow revenues fairly

7. Reform and strengthen the public service

8. Safeguard the environment as a strategic asset

9. Protect living standards during transition

These priorities are aligned with a set of Strategic Outcomes, that reflect the importance of cross portfolio partnerships, the reality of resource limitations, and the interconnections and interdependencies inherent in bringing about changes.

Each outcome guides the various work streams and activities across the different sectors, for example:

Over the coming weeks, the Government will discuss the draft strategy more widely with focused stakeholder groups and invite discussion to help identify any remaining gaps, including issues relevant to groups we have not yet reached. Our aim is to finalise and publish the strategy once we have confirmation of our budgetary aid settlement, expected in April 2026 and at this time clear milestone and timelines will be confirmed. We will review the strategy annually to ensure it remains responsive to the island’s changing needs which time we expect to know our budgetary aid settlement, and we will review it annually to ensure it remains responsive to the island’s changing need.

#StHelena #VisionandStrategy

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A meeting of the Police and Crime Panel took place on Thursday, 05 March 2026.

A recording of this meeting, which was also live-streamed, is now available for viewing via the SHG YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@sthelenagovernment1638

The report summary can be found on the SHG Website: The Royal St Helena Police Service | St Helena Government

Printed versions of the report summary and the full report are available to read at the Library and the Customer Service Centre in Jamestown.

For more information, please contact the Temporary Director of Police, Kevin Weir, by telephone on (00290) 22626 or via email through kevin.weir@sainthelena.gov.sh

#StHelena #RSHP #PoliceandCrimePanel

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SHG

11 March 2026

The St Helena Government (SHG) today announced the launch of a Business Support Scheme to provide financial relief to tourism-sector businesses directly affected by the temporary closure of St Helena Airport in February.

Background

On Friday, 6 February 2026, St Helena Airport was unable to operate under normal conditions. Unfortunately, the airport could not provide the ICAO Rescue and Firefighting Category 6 required to support the scheduled Airlink service.

This situation led to four flights being cancelled before Category 6 was restored. The interruption had an immediate and significant impact on the tourism sector, particularly for businesses reliant on visitor arrivals.

Who Can Apply?

The scheme is open to businesses that are incorporated or normally domiciled in St Helena, operating in one of the following sectors:

To qualify, businesses must be able to demonstrate that a confirmed booking or contract was directly affected by the airport closure, and that this resulted in a loss of guaranteed profit. Supporting evidence will be required as part of the application.

What Support Is Available?

Once an application has been approved SHG will provide assistance to affected businesses.

Support options approved by Executive Council are:

These schemes provide businesses with both immediate relief and confidence going forward. Businesses may apply for one or both types of support.

Minister for Economic Development, Environment, Natural Resources and Planning, Karl Thrower, stated:

“This scheme demonstrates SHG’s commitment to supporting our private sector through extraordinary circumstances. We recognise the very real impact this disruption has had on businesses and the livelihoods that depend on them, and we want to act quickly and fairly.”

How to Apply

Application forms are available on request from Head of Trade and Investment, Michael Ormrod, by telephone on 22470 or via email at invest@sainthelena.gov.sh. Completed application forms and supporting documents must be submitted to the SHG Trade and Investment Team by Thursday 9 April 2026.

If you believe you may be eligible, please get in touch as soon as possible.

#StHelena #BusinessSupportScheme

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Since early 2026, South Africa has been experiencing an escalation of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreaks with cases now experienced across all nine provinces. Urgent steps are being taken by the South African Government to curb the outbreak through mass vaccination, implementing a livestock identification, traceability system, managing movement controls alongside expanding diagnostic capability and awareness campaigns. On 13 February 2026 authorities in South Africa classified the FMD outbreak as a national disaster under the Disaster Management Act 2002.

The St Helena Resilience Forum has discussed a veterinary risk assessment by the Senior Veterinary Officer for the island in light of this situation in South Africa and have supported preliminary proposals to protect St Helena, which are aligned with applying the precautionary principle to reduce the risk of the disease reaching St Helena.

Relying on South Africa’s measures will not minimise the risk to the island’s livestock and St Helena needs to implement its own measures to prevent the introduction of the virus into the island.

The Executive Council has approved the prohibition on the importation of live animals and their germplasm and meat products and dairy products from cloven-hoofed animals originating from South Africa. We are applying the precautionary principle to protect St Helena.

What is being prohibited?

This below prohibition applies only to products (i) originating from, (ii) produced in, or (iii) repackaged in South Africa.

The following imports are prohibited until further notice:

The prohibition comes into effect for imports by sea for all arrivals after voyage V261702 of the MV Karoline (scheduled for 10 March 2026), and for imports by air for all arrivals after 10 March 2026.

The ban does not include tinned meats which are normally treated and sterilised, and UHT (boxed ) milk.

In addition to the prohibition on imports, additional biosecurity measures will be put in place pre-border for passengers travelling to the island and at our seaport and the airport to reduce the risk to St Helena.  At the airport, measures will be implemented to reduce the risk from small meat and dairy product imports as well as passengers’ clothing and footwear that might be contaminated from visits to locations with animals through farm or safari excursions. This will include examination and cleaning of used clothing and footwear as may be necessary.

It is not known how long this ban and implementation of additional biosecurity measures will continue, however, the Environment, Natural Resources and Planning Portfolio (ENRP) will monitor the situation and make further announcements as changing news becomes available.

To protect the island, ENRP have been working with the island’s importers to discuss their food orders from South Africa and proposals for a prohibition to reduce the risk of the disease reaching the island.

Inevitably, the ban on the above imports and additional biosecurity measures will result in some inconvenience to importers and the general public. The community is thanked in advance for their cooperation in helping to protect our island.

If you require further information please contact:

Alternatively, all officers can be contacted on telephone 24724.

Further information will be provided.

Note to Editors

FMD is a highly contagious, acute viral disease of cloven hooved animals (including pigs, cattle, sheep and goats) characterised by formation of vesicles and erosions in the mouth, nose, feet and teats. The virus is present in all secretions and excretions from infected animals.  Although FMD carries a low animal death rate for these animals the economic impact on the productivity of recovered animals, especially cattle, is severe, which is why the disease is treated so seriously.

Although humans can get FMD, it is rare and mild and depends on the strain. Humans can carry the virus for two to three days.

#StHelena #FootandMouthDisease

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An Extraordinary Meeting of Executive Council (ExCo) was held on 06 March 2026.

The agenda for the meeting was as follows:

CLOSED AGENDA

  1. Declaration of Interest
  2. Business Support Scheme – Airport Closure February 2026 (ExCo Memo 07/2026)
  3. Prohibiting the Importation of live Cloven-Hoofed Animals, Germplasm, Meat and Meat Products and Dairy Products from Cloven-Hoofed Animals Originating from South Africa to Reduce the Risk of Foot and Mouth Disease reaching St Helena (ExCo Memo 08/2026)

NB Items marked (*) are commercially sensitive and depending on the subject matter, might not be referred to in the top lines.

The following items were considered:

1. Declaration of Interest

    The Chief Minister declared her interest in item 3. as her husband owns a farming business, and, together with his business partner, he is an importer for a wholesale and retail business.

    Minister Thrower was nominated to advise the Governor on item 3.

    2. Business Support Scheme – Airport Closure February 2026 (ExCo Memo 07/2026)

      Executive Council considered and approved the Business Support Scheme for businesses directly affected by the exceptional circumstances caused by the Airport Major Incident of February 2026, which recognises the immediate and significant impacts it has had on businesses reliant on visitor access and associated economic activity.

      The scheme will provide support for businesses directly affected by the airport closure in the form of an interest-free loan and/or SHG pre-purchase of services, subject to eligibility and assessment.

      3. Prohibiting the Importation of live Cloven-Hoofed Animals, Germplasm, Meat and Meat Products and Dairy Products from Cloven-Hoofed Animals Originating from South Africa to Reduce the Risk of Foot and Mouth Disease reaching St Helena (ExCo Memo 08/2026)

      Executive Council approved the prohibition on the importation and landing of live animals and their germplasm, meat and meat products and non-UHT dairy products originating in South Africa from cloven-hoofed animals and will be implemented in line with the prohibition recommended below.

      The Customs (Export and Import Control) Regulations, 1988 be amended through revision of its First Schedule to make provision for the prohibited imports.

      This prohibition will come into force with effect from Saturday 7 March 2026 and applies to—

      (a) imports by sea, arrivals after voyage V261702 of MV Karoline (scheduled for 10 March 2026);

      (b) imports by air, arrivals after 10 March 2026.

      Guidance will be provided to all officials involved in managing the prohibition at all ports of entry.

      SHG is aware that people travelling to, from or via the Middle East will be concerned about the ongoing conflict. The situation is changing rapidly. In the first instance you should access the FCDO travel advice website at: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for up-to-date information. Stay in close contact with your airline, if you have travel planned, as schedules and routes may change at short notice.

      The wider impact on St Helena will depend on the duration and nature of the conflict and is currently hard to predict. However, we can assure those on island that we secured our next fuel shipment prior to the conflict starting and before an increase in world oil prices. This shipment is due in late March and will fully replenish our supplies.

      Due to an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in South Africa, which is being treated as a national emergency there, we must restrict the importation of cloven-hoofed animals and animal products. This applies where the product originates from, is produced in, or is repackaged in South Africa. There are some exceptions, such as fully cooked items, tinned meats and UHT milk (subject to conditions). Changes will apply to air imports from 10 March and after the March arrival of the MV Karoline for sea freight.  A separate press release will provide more details.

      Please DO NOT change your buying behaviour as a result of these issues. This adversely affects the supply chain and presents a risk to the most vulnerable in society, who may rely on buying food and fuel in small quantities, when they need it, rather than being able to buy in bulk. Please consider others, as well as yourselves.

      As always, the remoteness which makes our island so unique also presents challenges. These are nothing new and we will continue to work collaboratively to see them through. SHG will keep you updated about any significant changes.

      #StHelena #WorldEvents

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      What are Honours Awards?

      The UK State Awards known as Honours Awards are prestigious awards conferred by HM The King.  These awards recognise people who have made outstanding contributions to public life, or who have significantly enhanced the UK’s reputation and interests.  To be considered, achievements must be truly exceptional, demonstrating a commitment that goes well beyond the expected. Nominees should have made a lasting, positive impact, with benefits that extend widely across the community or a specific sector.

      Who can be nominated?

      Anyone can nominate someone for an Honour.  There are no restrictions on who can be nominated.  You cannot, however, nominate yourself. 

      The Honours system is committed to promoting diversity and nominations are actively encouraged for individuals from all backgrounds and ethnicities.  Nominations are not limited to any specific individuals or groups within society.

      When can someone be nominated?

      There is no fixed length of time which should have elapsed before an honour can be made, but the service should be recent or whilst an individual is still active in their role. Particular weight is given to voluntary work, which can be the central reason for the nomination or as an additional contribution.

      Some examples of fields where Honours have been given in the past are community and voluntary local services, arts and media, health, sport, education, science and technology, and conservation etc

      Types of Honours

      There are many different Orders and Levels of Awards, but usually nominations invited for St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha are for the ‘Order of the British Empire’.  The typical level under this Order are from lowest to highest: A British Empire Medal (BEM), Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), and Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). Visit  https://www.gov.uk/honours/types-of-honours-and-awards to read about the full range of awards available what level of achievement qualifies for each level of Honour.

      Submitting Strong Nominations

      Nominations for Honours Awards are invited by the St Helena Public Service twice per year – Usually in May (for the New Years Honours), and in November (for the Kings Birthday Honours).  A strong nomination should include the following:

      If you would like to nominate someone, please contact  Linda Benjamin, Information & Research Support Officer at Linda.Benjamin@sainthelena.gov.sh for a nomination form. 

      Governor’s Office, St Helena, Ascension & Tristan da Cunha

      6 March 2026

      A meeting of the Police and Crime Panel will take place on Thursday, 05 March 2026, from 13:00 to 14:30. This meeting will be held at the conference room in Customs House, Jamestown, and will be live streamed via the SHG YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@sthelenagovernment1638

      The agenda will include a Police and Crime Panel report from the Temporary Director of Police and a question and answer (QA) section from the panel.

      The report summary can be found on the SHG Website: The Royal St Helena Police Service | St Helena Government

      For more information, please contact the Temporary Director of Police, Kevin Weir, by telephone on (00290) 22626 or by email through kevin.weir@sainthelena.gov.sh

      A meeting of Executive Council (ExCo) was held on 24 February 2026.
      The agenda for the meeting was as follows:

      CLOSED AGENDA

      1. Declaration of Interest
      2. Confirmation of Minutes of the Executive Council Meeting held on 27 January 2026
      3. Matters Arising from Minutes of 27 January 2026
      4. Confirmation of Minutes of the Executive Council Meeting held on 6 February 2026
      5. Matters Arising from Minutes of 6 February 2026
      6. Ship Registry Policy, 2026 (ExCo Memo 03/2026)
      7. Policy for Safety of Large St Helena Registered Fishing Vessels and Foreign Registered Fishing Vessels and Regulations, 2026 (ExCo Memo 04/2026)
      8. Income Tax and Customs Duty Changes (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Vaping Products), 2026 (ExCo Memo 05/2026)
      9. Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2025/2026 (ExCo Memo 06/2026)
      10. Ministerial Updates on significant issues

      NB Items marked (*) are commercially sensitive and depending on the subject matter, might not be referred to in the top lines.

      The following items were considered:

      2 – 5. Confirmation of Minutes and Matters Arising from the Minutes
      Executive Council confirmed and signed off the minutes of the meetings held on 27 January and 6 February 2026.

      1. Ship Registry Policy, 2026 (ExCo Memo 03/2026)

        Executive Council approved the amendments to the Ship Registry Policy 2024, confirming that the publication of the Ships Registry Policy, 2026 will supersede all previous versions. The agreed will be used to inform the drafting of Ship Registry Regulations under section 16(1) of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance, 2021 (MSO).
      2. Policy for Safety of Large St Helena Registered Fishing Vessels and Foreign Registered Fishing Vessels and Regulations, 2026 (ExCo Memo 04/2026)

      Executive Council approved the Policy for the Safety of Large St Helena Registered Fishing Vessels and Foreign Registered Fishing Vessels and approved the Merchant Shipping (Safety of Large St Helena Registered Fishing Vessels and Foreign Registered Fishing Vessels) Regulations, 2026 to take effect on publication.

      This will provide a modern regulatory framework for the survey and certification of large fishing vessels which are, or could be, registered on St Helena’s Ship Registry. As well as address lacunae in the provision for such regulatory framework in St Helena, as previously identified, and observed during the 2025 International Maritime Organisation (IMO) III Code Proxy Audit.

      Executive Council also requested that a cost benefit analysis of the Ships Registry be undertaken.

      1. Income Tax and Customs Duty Changes (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Vaping Products), 2026 (ExCo Memo 05/2026)

      Income Tax
      Executive Council was asked to consider options for changes to the current income tax threshold of £7,000 from 01 April 2026. Executive Council discussed the options at length, noting the budgetary impact.

      Customs Duty Changes (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Vaping Products)
      Executive Council was asked to consider and advise on proposals for changes to the duty on alcohol, tobacco and introduction of an import duty on vaping products from 1 April 2026.

      1. Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2025/2026 (ExCo Memo 06/2026)
        Executive Council approved:

      a) the Supplementary Appropriation (2025/26) Bill, 2026 to be printed, published, and presented as Government Business at the next formal meeting of Legislative Council scheduled for 19 March 2026; and
      b) Subject to Legislative Council approving the Supplementary Appropriation (2025/26) Bill, 2026, Executive Council was asked to consider and advise whether the Governor should approve the Withdrawal Warrant provided to fund the supplementary appropriation.

      The Supplementary Appropriation (2025/26) Bill, 2026 will be presented to Legislative Council next month.

      1. Ministerial Updates on significant issues
        Executive Council discussed updates on:
        • The Connect Saint Helena Ltd Utilities Licence; and
        • the Airport Major Incident, considerations for transparent investigation.