Mr. Speaker,
It is an honour to rise today to present my contribution to the 2010/2011 Budget Debate. At the outset, I wish to extend my sincere appreciation to the wonderful people of the St. Ann’s constituency, for their constant and steadfast support.
Mr. Speaker,
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, inclusive of its Overseas Missions, is relatively small both in terms of its staffing complement and allocated budgetary resources, in comparison with other Government agencies. The Ministry presently comprises a network of Ministry Headquarters, including the Passport Offices in Nassau and Freeport, and ten (10) diplomatic missions, including three (3) consular posts, with approximately 280 employees, including locally recruited staff at the Missions. The Ministry’s staff complement may be small, but consists of a dedicated team of persons, working in concert to promote the critical national interests of The Bahamas. I wish to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of all of the Ministry staff, both at home and abroad, in carrying out their mandate with professionalism and commitment.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been allocated $21,998,344 for the fiscal year 2010/2011, which includes provisions for the operations of the Ministry and the Overseas Missions, as well as funds for contributions to the various international organizations to which The Bahamas belongs. By far the largest share of the budget is allotted to Block 1, Personal Emoluments. The modest increase in the Ministry’s Personal Emoluments allocation for 2010/2011 of $109,469 covers transfers into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from other Ministries and Departments.
I am pleased to report that budgetary provision has been made in the 2010/2011 estimates for the engagement of five new officers at the rank of Administrative Cadet. It had been my hope that these new officers would have been engaged in the 2009/2010 fiscal year; however, resource constraints prevented this from being achieved. The addition of these new officers in the coming fiscal year should serve to strengthen the Ministry’s human resource foundation at the entry level, in order to train a suitable cadre of officers to enhance and secure the Ministry’s ability to sustain, at a high standard, the wide variety of functions for which it has responsibility.
Mr. Speaker,
I am pleased to report that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to be guided by the commitments made in the 2007 FNM Manifesto regarding the conduct of the country’s foreign policy on the basis of time-honoured positions of self-determination, sovereignty, mutual respect and non-intervention, and in support of The Bahamas’ national economic and development goals. Since 2007, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has implemented the commitments, among others, to ensure suitable accommodation for the Ministry, implement machine-readable passports and electronic, secure visas, and negotiate bilateral visa abolition agreements with selected countries to facilitate visitor travel to The Bahamas and Bahamian travel internationally. It remains a source of disappointment that, despite the Ministry’s work in this regard, we have not yet been able to achieve the creation of a separate, statutory Foreign Service. The creation of a separate, professional Foreign Service would go a long way to ensuring that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is able to recruit and retain the caliber of officer that is required to serve in this vitally important Ministry and in The Bahamas Overseas Missions. It is my hope that progress will be made in this regard in the context of overall public service reform, as foreshadowed in the Speech from the Throne.
Mr. Speaker,
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is perhaps considered a somewhat esoteric Ministry, particularly by members of the general public, as a lot of its work is conducted behind the scenes and away from our shores. However, the Ministry performs a number of indispensable functions, critical to The Bahamas’ national security and development and to safeguarding the well-being of Bahamian citizens overseas. This work includes, but is not limited to, the representation of The Bahamas at international organizations and meetings, negotiations with other States and organizations for technical and other assistance such as scholarships for Bahamian students, negotiations to conclude visa waiver arrangements to permit freer travel for Bahamians and to facilitate enhanced tourism and business, border management through the issuance of visas, and assistance to Bahamian nationals residing, studying, traveling, or conducting business abroad.
It should also not be overlooked that my Ministry is a significant generator of revenue for the Consolidated Fund, primarily through the issuance of passports and other travel documents, visas for foreign nationals wishing to travel to The Bahamas, and a variety of notarial and legalization functions. Taking these into account, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is projecting revenue for 2010/2011 from these sources of $3,064,600, representing an expected increase of $959,270.
Mr. Speaker,
We are all well aware of the continuing difficult economic circumstances in which we find ourselves, as a country and a Government. My Ministry therefore continues to do its part to conduct its operations in as cost-efficient a manner as possible, so as to ensure that the Bahamian taxpayer gets the maximum return on every dollar spent. The Ministry also continues to engage in revenue collection enhancement measures to ensure maximum efficiency in the timely collection and submission of revenue, including by the Overseas Missions.
The Ministry also makes every effort to ensure that its work is focused clearly on those areas of critical national interest to The Bahamas. This requires continuous coordination between Ministry Headquarters and the Overseas Missions to ensure that we are all focused on the priority needs of the country.
In pursuit of this objective, the Ministry held its 7th Heads of Mission meeting in February of this year, to undertake consultations between the Ministry and the Overseas Missions, to ensure coherence and coordination in our work, and the maximum return on efforts and resources expended at home and abroad. The meeting also provided an opportunity for networking and discussion between the Heads of The Bahamas Overseas Missions and the Ministry to ensure the proper harmonization of our foreign policy priorities. The meeting addressed a number of important issues, including the importance of fiscal discipline in the Ministry and Missions’ operations, and policy issues related to The Bahamas’ response to international political crises, climate change, tourism, trade and investment promotion, maritime piracy and The Bahamas’ obligations under international conventions and instruments. The meeting also considered consular and passport issues, including ways to enhance service delivery at the Missions. This approach of continuing to enhance communication, coherence and coordination between the Ministry and the Overseas Missions will continue to be applied in the coming fiscal year. By so doing, the Ministry will be positioned to influence and benefit from major reforms called for in the face of international crises and challenges, such as international financial instability, the impact of climate change and water, energy and food security.
Mr. Speaker,
The Passport Office is perhaps the most visible department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the one with which most Bahamians would have direct experience. Members are undoubtedly aware of some of the challenges we have encountered in making the transition from manual, handwritten passports to machine readable, electronic passports, as mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organization. I am very pleased, however, to report that the Passport Office continues to make great strides in improving its performance in all areas and its service delivery to the Bahamian public.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ budgetary allocation for 2010/2011 includes $1,118,000 for the purchase of blank e-passports, an increase of $838,000 from 2009/2010. This amount will cover the purchase of 50,000 regular passports, 25,000 children’s passports, 10,000 emergency travel documents, and 20,000 emergency travel document stickers. It also includes 40 necessary software revisions. I should point out that these consumables cover a five-year period; however, as the unit price for these items goes down according to the number purchased, it is necessary to include the entire bundle in the entire order so as to attain the best possible pricing structure for these items.
Mr. Speaker,
Perhaps the most important achievement at the Passport Office within the past year has been the reduction in processing time for passports. Earlier this year, the Passport Office had been able to reduce this time period to two weeks. However, as Bahamians have been encouraged to submit their applications for e-passports so as to make the transition from manual passports, the Passport Office has experienced an increase in the numbers of persons submitting applications. Turnaround time has therefore gone back up to approximately four weeks. This is still a marked improvement from the initial stages of the introduction of e-passports when applicants often had to wait up to ten weeks to receive their passports. This very important hurdle has been overcome by adding personnel and additional shifts in certain areas, and redeploying staff in others to tackle the backlog of applications, while at the same time increasing the number of enrolled applications. Passport production was also greatly enhanced by the tripling of the number of production machines from two to six, which has boosted passport production from 300 daily to 900 daily. The number of quality control machines has also been increased to augment this process.
The Passport Office has also benefited from utilizing the services of persons engaged under the Government’s Six Month Temporary Jobs Programme. These persons have made a valuable contribution to the functioning of the Passport Office, and I trust that they will have acquired some valuable skills that they can take forward with them as they re-enter the job market.
Mr. Speaker,
Having achieved this very important goal of reducing passport processing time, the Passport Office remains committed in the coming fiscal year to once again reducing the turnaround and processing time and will ensure the necessary deployment of human and physical resources to continue to improve its service delivery to the general public. This now includes the implementation of the machine readable Certificate of Identity, as well as the Mobile Unit, which was rolled out earlier this year, as well as a facility for online passport applications, which went live on 1 June 2010. This newest development should serve to greatly improve the passport application process and enhance the working environment at the Passport Office, for their staff and clients alike. It will help to eliminate the long lines at the Passport Office, as well as shorten the administrative processing time. This is also in line with the Government’s overall commitment to facilitating access by the general public to government services through the effective use of modern technology.
In this regard, I wish, once again, to urge Bahamians wishing to travel in the summer and in need of new passports to submit their applications without delay, so as to avoid any difficulties. I would also encourage as many people are as able to utilize the new online application process.
Mr. Speaker,
I am equally pleased to report that my Ministry has completed the process of enabling Overseas Missions in North America, namely Atlanta, Miami, New York, Ottawa and Washington, to enroll Bahamian applicants in their respective jurisdictions for e-passport processing. As was expected for a project of this nature, some challenges were encountered in the initial implementation, particularly with respect to applicants having all of the necessary documentation for enrolment. This particular challenge has been addressed by having liaison personnel in place to communicate with Overseas Missions to ensure that all of the documents can be made available when needed, and to address any general queries from the Missions.
Having expanded the issuance of e-passports to some of our Overseas Missions, I am pleased to advise that The Bahamas Embassy in Beijing, China and The Bahamas High Commission in London, United Kingdom should begin issuing electronic passports early in the 2010/2011 fiscal year. The Ministry’s Network Administrator will travel to London on 13 June and then to Beijing on 20 June in order to bring these Missions online. I expect that we shall be able to apply some of the lessons learnt from our earlier challenges in this exercise, in order to ensure that the process is implemented as smoothly as possible.
Mr. Speaker,
Members would be aware that the implementation of the machine readable, e-passports and other travel documents has been an expensive but necessary venture for the Government. However, the production of passports continues to be a significant source of revenue generation for the Consolidated Fund. The expansion of e-passport services to the Family Islands and Overseas Missions, as well as the implementation of the electronic Certificate of Identity, have resulted in increased revenue, and it is expected that this trend would continue with the expansion of these services to Beijing and London, as this will result in increased passport fees collected in both of these jurisdictions. Taking all of these factors into account, my Ministry is projecting an increase in overall revenue from passports for 2010/2011 from $1,725,329 in 2009/2010 to $2,070,708, an increase of $345,379.
I look forward to being able to report to this House at a future stage on our continuing progress in improving service delivery in the Passport Office and through the Overseas Missions, for the benefit of Bahamians both at home and abroad.
Mr. Speaker,
The other revenue-generating arm of the Ministry is the Consular Division, which while less visible than the Passport Office, continues to perform a variety of services to the Bahamian public and to foreign nationals wishing to visit or do business in The Bahamas. Through its role in processing visa applications the Consular Division carries out a critically important border management function, while at the same time generating significant revenue. The Consular Division was relocated earlier this year and now occupies space in the recently-renovated former headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on East Hill Street. This relocation has permitted the consolidation of the Division’s functions, with resulting efficiencies and expected savings in its operations.
For the coming fiscal year 2010/2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is projecting an increase in the collection of revenue from visa fees from $253,554 to $820,306, an increase of some $566,752. This increase is expected to be realized despite the fact that the visa requirement was eliminated for a number of countries in 2009, as part of an effort to facilitate ease of travel and business for citizens of a number of countries, primarily in Europe and Latin America. As the number of visitors from Asia continues to rise, along with an increase in fees collected for processing visas for foreign nationals resident in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the revenue collected under this item should continue to increase.
Revenue from legalization of documents and notary public fees is also expected to increase in 2010/2011 from $126,447 to $173,586, a projected increase of $47,139.
Mr. Speaker,
I wish to now turn away from the revenue-generating arms of the Ministry and outline some of the other planned activities and expected achievements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including its Overseas Missions, for the fiscal year 2010/2011.
One of the primary functions of the Ministry and its Overseas Missions is to raise the profile of The Bahamas in the international arena, and ensure that The Bahamas’ voice is heard in fora where decisions are taken that affect the well-being of The Bahamas and its people. It is for this reason that The Bahamas launched a number of high-profile candidatures in 2009. I am very pleased to report that The Bahamas was successful in all of its election bids in 2009, including election to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, the Presidency of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] in the person of Dr. Davidson Hepburn, the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and re-election to the Council of the International Maritime Organization.
All of these bodies address issues of vital national importance to The Bahamas, including financial services, social development, the environment, maritime and international shipping issues, and education. Membership on the decision-making bodies that determine international policy on these and other issues will enable The Bahamas to contribute to the shaping of that policy, to ensure that decisions taken are to the benefit of The Bahamas and its people.
The successful campaigns for these elections involved a high degree of coordination between the Ministry and its Overseas Missions, and I wish to pay tribute to the efforts of all those involved. That same level of coordination will now be applied going forward, in support of the individuals and offices that will represent The Bahamas on the bodies to which we have been elected. This will also require enhanced coordination and cooperation between my Ministry and those Government Ministries and Departments whose work feeds into and is directly affected by the deliberations of international bodies.
Mr. Speaker,
The Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs comprises eleven issue-oriented Divisions, all of which play an important role in fulfilling the Ministry’s mandate of coordination of The Bahamas’ foreign policy at the national and international levels, as well as the protection of our national interest overseas. These Divisions work in concert to enable the Ministry to play a vital, liaison role between various Government Ministries and agencies and the international arena, on a wide range of issues, in an effort not only to promote the Bahamian brand abroad, as with the case of tourism, but also to ensure that The Bahamas takes advantage of developmental assistance and capacity-building opportunities afforded by a more intensely globalised world.
Mr. Speaker,
As a responsible member of the international community, The Bahamas maintains membership in and contributes to a number of international organizations and entities. The Bahamas remains committed to paying its contributions to international organizations, in full and in a timely manner.
The second largest portion of my Ministry’s budget estimates therefore relates to Block 90, Contributions to international organizations, for which $5,851,384 has been allocated for 2010/2011. This includes an increase in The Bahamas’ contribution to the CARICOM Secretariat of $163,774, as The Bahamas and all other CARICOM countries have assumed responsibility for paying Haiti’s share of the budget for the CARICOM Secretariat for this financial year, given the devastation in Haiti following the earthquake that struck on 12 January of this year.
This amount also includes an increase of $50,000 in the allocation for United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, from $513,820 to $563,820. As a word of explanation, I should advise Members that this item has been renamed in the 2010/2011 estimates of expenditure to ensure that it is accurately reflected. In previous fiscal years, this item was incorrectly labelled, therefore a new item number has been assigned for this fiscal year. Accordingly, while it might appear that there has been an increase of $563,820 under this item, the actual figure is $50,000. The same holds true of the total increase under this block which is $291,692, although it appears as $805,512. This correction is reflected in Block 99, Items not repeated.
Mr. Speaker,
The Bahamas prides itself on, and has a reputation for being a responsible member of the international community, and extends the hand of friendship to other members of that community. In the coming fiscal year, the Ministry and its Overseas Missions will continue to engage in activities and outreach to ensure that The Bahamas is well-represented in international fora, and that our voice is heard in deliberations on issues affecting our social and economic development.
In pursuit of these objectives, my Ministry will prioritize its representation in the various intergovernmental processes ongoing at international organizations to which we belong, including Caribbean Community, the Organization of American States, the United Nations and the Commonwealth. These efforts will include providing the necessary guidance and support to The Bahamas’ delegations to the headquarters of these organizations, as well as coordinating attendance at Summit, Ministerial and other level meetings of these organizations and the compilation of national briefing positions for such meetings.
In this regard, over the past fiscal year the Ministry has coordinated The Bahamas’ participation, through delegations headed by myself or other senior officers of the Ministry, at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2009, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November 2009, the Unity Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean and the CARICOM-Mexico Summit in February 2010, the 25th meeting of the Community Council of Ministers of the Caribbean Community in February 2010, the first CARICOM-Brazil Summit in April 2010, the Sixth European Union – Latin American Summit in May 2010, and the CARICOM Council for Foreign and Community Relations in May 2010, among others. The Ministry also provided logistical and substantive support to The Bahamas delegation to the 21st Intersessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community in March 2010.
The final major activities for this fiscal year will be the annual General Assembly of the Organization of American States, which will be held in Lima, Peru from 6 – 8 June 2010, and to which I will head The Bahamas delegation; The meeting will be held under the theme ‘Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Americas’, and will consider a wide range of issues related to migration, tourism, human rights, gender equality, climate change, and follow-up to the Summit of the Americas. I should also be attending a Meeting of Caribbean Foreign Ministers with the US Secretary of State which will be held in Barbados on 10 June, 2010.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also recently coordinated the convening of the Fourth Caribbean-China Consultations in Nassau on 10 May 2010. The consultations were attended by Ministers and Senior Officials of the nine Caribbean countries that maintain diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and addressed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including the upcoming Caribbean-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum to be held later this year in Trinidad and Tobago, investment promotion, climate change and technical cooperation.
In the coming fiscal year, the Ministry will remain engaged, in conjunction with relevant Ministries and Departments, in the follow-up to decisions taken by these bodies, particularly those that have an immediate and direct effect on The Bahamas. The Ministry will also continue to coordinate The Bahamas representation in various meetings and forums, which will include the meetings of the standing Councils of the Caribbean Community for which my Ministry has responsibility and ongoing intergovernmental and consultative processes at the United Nations, the Commonwealth, the Organization of American States and the Association of Caribbean States. The Ministry would also coordinate The Bahamas’ participation in special events, such as the Fourth CARICOM-Japan Consultations and the aforementioned Third Caribbean-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum, both of which are scheduled to take place later this year.
Mr. Speaker,
In implementation of its legislated mandate for the coordination of foreign policy, in the coming fiscal year, the Ministry will continue to liaise closely with relevant agencies on issues of economic and developmental importance to The Bahamas. This includes close cooperation with the Ministry of Finance on the negotiation and signature of tax information exchange agreements with a number of OECD and non-OECD countries. This effort included the involvement of a number of the overseas Missions, which served as first points of contact for many of the countries with whom The Bahamas has concluded TIEAs. Several of The Bahamas’ Heads of Overseas Missions also signed TIEAs on behalf of the Government. As Members would be aware, the Government has successfully achieved the removal of The Bahamas from the OECD ‘grey list’ of countries who are deemed not to be fully compliant with international tax standards, by signing 19 TIEAs by the stipulated deadline. Going forward, the Ministry will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Finance in this regard.
The Ministry will also continue to work in tandem with the Ministry of Finance on issues related to implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union and the process for The Bahamas’ accession to the World Trade Organization. With respect to the EPA, I was pleased to head The Bahamas delegation at the Inaugural Meeting of the Joint EU-CARIFORUM Council convened pursuant to the terms of the EPA on 17 May 2010, held in the margins of the Sixth European Union – Latin American and Caribbean Summit, held in Spain. At that time, the Council agreed to adopt The Bahamas’ Services and Investment Schedules to the EPA by written procedure.
There is also ongoing cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Environment regarding climate change, particularly the follow-up process to the December 2009 Copenhagen Summit and the preparatory work for the next major meeting in Cancun scheduled for December of this year, at which our goal remains the conclusion of a legally binding successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol.
Mr. Speaker,
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deals with a wide range of issues related to international law, including mutual legal assistance, international child abduction, extradition matters, ratification of treaties and agreements by The Bahamas and coordination of implementation and reporting obligations under those treaties and agreements. My Ministry also liaises with other agencies of the Government and representatives of foreign governments on matters relating to piracy, illegal migrant flows, security issues, transfer of prisoners and crime prevention and criminal justice issues.
In this regard, and in pursuit of The Bahamas’ obligations as a responsible member of the international community, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to carry out work necessary to submit reports required under United Nations Security Council resolutions related to counter-terrorism. The Bahamas is also party to 13 of the 16 Universal Anti-terrorism Conventions and the Ministry has identified two other Conventions for its 2010 Priority Treaty list, for consideration by the Government.
The Ministry will also continue to serve as the Chair of the National Executing Committee on International Agreements Prohibiting Weapons of Mass Destruction, which has responsibility for The Bahamas’ implementation of agreements related to small arms and light weapons, the illicit trafficking of which continues to be a major challenge for The Bahamas, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Under the latter treaty, the Ministry will continue to liaise with relevant Agencies concerning the use of CTBT technologies, for example, to assist in the early detection of hurricanes and potential tsunami threats.
Mr. Speaker,
In keeping with The Bahamas’ obligations under international law, in the coming fiscal year, my Ministry will also continue the necessary preparatory work for ongoing negotiations to delimit our maritime boundaries with neighbouring countries. This work will complement the submission in 2009 by The Bahamas to the United Nations of the necessary preliminary documentation indicating that we intend to extend our claim to the outer limits of the Continental Shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, subject to negotiations with adjacent states. The importance of this to the future of the Bahamian people is that it is the first step in the process for establishing jurisdiction over the continental shelf for exploration and exploitation of all non-living resources of the seabed and the subsoil of the shelf, including oil, gas and minerals, as well as certain sedentary marine species.
Mr. Speaker,
As indicated earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is perhaps one of the Government agencies whose role and function is least visible on the national scene. The Ministry therefore takes great pleasure in participating in the annual Model United Nations mock UN General Assembly debate among high school students, organized by the Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas, with support from the staff of the Ministry. We certainly feel that the annual Model United Nations session is invaluable in exposing the future generation of leaders to the types of issues considered in international organizations which have a clear bearing on our development and well-being. The Ministry also hopes that the event will continue to generate interest in young Bahamians in the country’s Foreign Service.
Mr. Speaker,
The Bahamas maintains a small, but active network of diplomatic missions overseas, the staff of which are literally the face of The Bahamas abroad and who work with dedication and commitment in pursuit of The Bahamas’ nationaI interests overseas. The work of our Missions is complemented by a network of hard working honorary Consuls, located throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, Europe and Asia.
The missions are strategically located, and carry out a wide variety of functions to both promote The Bahamas’ interests and safeguard the welfare of Bahamian citizens overseas. I wish to highlight briefly some of the main planned and ongoing activities of our Missions in the coming fiscal year.
The Bahamas’ Embassy in Beijing, China continues to consolidate its operations, having become a full service Embassy in August 2008 and assumed responsibility for all consular functions at that time. In keeping with our ongoing efforts to achieve efficiencies and savings in our operations, I am pleased to report that the Embassy in China has been able to achieve significant savings in rental costs through the downsizing and reconfiguring of the premises in July 2009. This has resulted in a reduction of quarterly rental costs from US$38,340 to US$21,596, a 44% reduction.
The Embassy issues visas and passports, and provides support and advice to the small group of Bahamian students in China. In the first half of the fiscal year that is now drawing to a close, the Embassy issued 338 visas which generated $735.00, most of them to Chinese nationals. Many of the visas issued were for government officials traveling to The Bahamas with high-level delegations, or for persons involved in the construction of the National Stadium. The Embassy has reported that it saw an upsurge in the number of visas issued in early 2010, as some 600 visas were issued to persons traveling through The Bahamas to attend a conference in Florida.
As I indicated previously, the Embassy is about to be brought online to issue electronic passports and visas, as the Ministry’s Network Administrator will travel to Beijing on June 20 to implement this process. Once this process is complete, the Embassy should be in a position to enhance its service delivery to Chinese nationals and other nationals resident in China wishing to travel to The Bahamas for tourism, business and other purposes. The Embassy also provides guidance and support to the growing number of Bahamian nationals and entities seeking to do business in China. As the only Bahamas Mission in the Asia-Pacific region, the Embassy is also charged with maintaining a watching brief on countries of interest in the region, particularly those that present economic opportunities for The Bahamas, through investment and/or enhanced trading links.
Mr. Speaker,
The Bahamas High Commission in Ottawa, Canada continues to perform a number of very important functions, particularly in terms of providing support to the large numbers of Bahamians studying at various institutions in Canada. The High Commission also provides a number of consular services, including the issuance of visas and passports, notarial and legalization functions, and assistance to Bahamians in distress. In the first half of the fiscal year 2009/2010, the High Commission issued 22 passports, including one emergency travel document, and 88 visas to persons wishing to travel to The Bahamas. The combined revenue from the High Commission’s consular activities was for that period was $6765.00. These figures represented an increase of 17.4% in visa revenue and 53% in passport revenue. These levels of consular activity are expected to continue.
The High Commission also continues to demonstrate a keen interest in cultural diplomacy, and facilitating the exposure of the culture and music of The Bahamas to a wider audience in Canada. These sorts of activities, which have included partnerships with cultural and other groups from The Bahamas, go a long way toward promoting The Bahamas as a tourism and cultural destination, often with minimal financial commitment from the Overseas Missions. The same is true of the High Commission’s participation in the annual International Food Fair organized by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, which raises funds for local charities and provides an opportunity to further raise the profile of The Bahamas.
Mr. Speaker,
The Bahamas Consulate General in Miami is the busiest of The Bahamas’ consular posts, particularly with respect to the issuance of visas and assistance to Bahamian nationals. In the first half of the fiscal year 2009/2010 the Consulate issued 1325 visas and 291 passports, as well as 165 emergency passports. The Consulate was one of the first of our Overseas Missions to be equipped to issue electronic visas, and went online on 1 September 2009, a transition which went relatively smoothly. Miami is one of the offices that has seen a decline in visa revenue due to the abolition early in 2009 of the visa requirement for the citizens of many European and Latin American countries. However, we expect that this decline will be offset by an increase in travel from citizens of these countries to The Bahamas for tourism and business purposes, particularly as the global economy continues to stabilize and recover. The Consulate also went online with the issuance of machine readable electronic passports on 1 September 2009. As reported earlier, there were some initial challenges in the extension of these services to the Overseas Missions; in the case of Miami this resulted in a lag between enrollment for electronic passports and the actual issuance of the completed booklets. However, these issues have now been successfully addressed.
The Consulate in Miami is also kept very busy with the arrest, detention and deportation of Bahamian nationals within its jurisdiction. The Consulate continues to provide assistance, where possible, to assist Bahamians in detention, and their families. This includes visiting Bahamian nationals in places of detention in Florida, contacting family members and providing information on treaty transfer back to The Bahamas. Finally, the Consulate also continues to provide assistance, where possible, to Bahamian nationals in distress within its jurisdiction, as well as to facilitate naturalization cases with the Department of Immigration.
Mr. Speaker,
Our office in Washington, D.C. is a multifunctional diplomatic mission, which serves as The Bahamas Embassy to the United States, Colombia and Mexico, and The Bahamas Permanent Mission to the Organization of American States [OAS]. The Mission therefore has a very wide remit, which includes bilateral relations with the countries to which it is accredited, representation in the various meetings and activities of the OAS, and consular activities, including the issuance of visas and passports and assistance to Bahamian nationals.
The Bahamas Embassy in Washington D.C. went online with the issuance of machine readable passports and visas on 1 November 2009. As with other Overseas Missions, the Embassy encountered some challenges in this transition; however, these have now been overcome. In the first half of the fiscal year, the Embassy issued 813 visas, 45 passports and 14 emergency passports.
In the coming fiscal year, as a part of its bilateral mandate, the Embassy will continue to engage in discussions with representatives of the US Government on a number of issues of critical importance to The Bahamas, including trade and intellectual property rights, US legislative initiatives aimed at so-called ‘tax havens’, trafficking in persons, and cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration. The Embassy also remains engaged in ongoing discussions on CARICOM – US relations, including issues related to climate change, security, trade, deportees etc.
In its capacity as The Bahamas Mission to the OAS, the Mission remains actively involved in OAS discussions on political developments in the hemisphere, follow up to the Summit of the Americas, the OAS’ role in financing national and multilateral development projects in Member States, and the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism. The Bahamas has taken a particularly active role in the activities of this Committee, which it Chairs.
As with all of The Bahamas’ diplomatic missions, the Embassy in Washington also engages in cultural and public diplomacy, participating in programmes which require a limited financial commitment but make an invaluable contribution to raising the profile of the country and promoting The Bahamas as a business, tourist and cultural destination. The Embassy therefore participates in the Embassy Adoption Programme, which is co-sponsored by the Washington Performing Arts Society and DC Public Schools. This programme is designed to inform students about The Bahamas with a view to them learning to appreciate and respect Bahamian art, culture, history and current events. This programme complements the Embassy’s participation in the ‘Passport DC Open House’ coordinated by Cultural DC.
Mr. Speaker,
The Bahamas High Commission in London is also a multi-functional diplomatic mission, serving also as The Bahamas Embassy to Belgium, France, Germany and Italy. Further, the High Commission is The Bahamas’ point of contact for the Commonwealth Secretariat headquartered in London, the European Union headquartered in Brussels, and the World Trade Organization and the International Organization for Migration, both headquartered in Geneva. The High Commissioner is also accredited as The Bahamas’ Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization, headquartered in London.
In the coming fiscal year, the High Commission will remain actively engaged in the follow-up process to the 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, as well as other high-level Commonwealth meetings throughout the year. The High Commission will also continue to work closely with The Bahamas Maritime Authority in ensuring active and constructive participation by The Bahamas at the IMO, where The Bahamas sits on the Council.
As I indicated previously, the High Commission is about to be brought online to issue electronic passports and visas, as the Ministry’s Network Administrator will travel to London on June 13 to implement this process. Once this process is complete, the High Commission should be in a position to enhance its service delivery to Bahamian nationals and other nationals resident in the United Kingdom and Europe in need of passports and other travel documents or wishing to travel to The Bahamas for tourism, business and other purposes. This process has not been without its challenges, given the difficulties inherent in installing cutting edge technology in the grand old building which houses the High Commission; nevertheless, we believe that these difficulties will be successfully overcome.
Mr. Speaker,
A key achievement of my Ministry in 2009 was the conclusion of the short-stay visa waiver agreement with the European Community, which was negotiated through The Bahamas High Commission in London, in its capacity as Mission to the European Union. The agreement was initialed in May 2009 and was provisionally in force from the date of signature. As a result, the numbers of visas issued by the High Commission have declined significantly, as all European Union citizens are able to travel visa-free to The Bahamas. Since that time, Bahamians have been able to travel visa-free to all members of the European Union for short stays, and it is expected that this agreement will reap benefits for The Bahamas in terms of increased travel from Europe to The Bahamas for tourism and business purposes. My Ministry, through the High Commission, is continuing the process of negotiations to conclude similar agreements with the non-European Union Schengen states of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. It is hoped that this process would be concluded in the near future. I am pleased to inform this House also that two of the EU candidate countries, Croatia and the Republic of Macedonia have waived the visa requirement for Bahamian nationals, as a part of their preparation for EU membership.
In pursuit of our commitment to conclude bilateral visa abolition agreements with selected countries to facilitate visitor travel to The Bahamas and Bahamian travel internationally, the Ministry has also recently concluded a visa abolition agreement with Brazil, pertaining to diplomatic officials and service passports holders, which I signed in the margins of the CARICOM-Brazil Summit, held in Brazil in April 2010. My Ministry also expects to conclude a similar arrangement with Peru in the very near future.
Mr. Speaker,
The Bahamas Mission to the United Nations in New York continues to employ all of its resources to ensuring the effective representation of The Bahamas at that body. As Members would be aware, the United Nations continues to be the pre-eminent international forum for the consideration of a number of issues of critical importance to The Bahamas, including climate change, the sustainable development of small island developing states, the law of the sea, crime prevention and drug control, combating the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons, the advancement of women, and promoting and protecting the rights of children.
With respect to climate change, the Mission remains fully engaged, in conjunction with my Ministry and the Ministry of the Environment, in the follow-up process to the Copenhagen Summit and the critical process now underway leading up to the Cancun meeting. The Mission will also serve as the principal representative of The Bahamas on the Commission for Sustainable Development and the Economic and Social Council, to both of which The Bahamas was elected in 2009.
Mr. Speaker,
The Bahamas Consulate General in Atlanta is The Bahamas’ newest Overseas Mission, which opened officially in August 2009, in the presence of the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister. The decision was taken to open the Consulate in recognition of the increasing business opportunities available in Atlanta as well as the growing needs of Bahamians resident in the Southeastern United States. The Consulate offers full consular services to Bahamians residing within its jurisdiction, as well as visa services for non-Bahamians wishing to travel to our shores. The Bahamas Consulate General in Atlanta is a welcome addition to the Consulates in Miami and New York, and the Embassy in Washington, in expanding The Bahamas’ consular presence in the United States. The Consulate in Atlanta is also equipped to issue machine readable electronic passports and visas, and in the period up to December 2009, the Consulate issued 266 visas, 144 passports and 11 emergency passports. These levels of consular activity are expected to continue.
The Bahamas Consulate General in New York is another key part of this consular network in the United States, and performs a wide variety of services, including the legalization of documents, the processing of visas for persons wishing to travel to The Bahamas to visit and to do business, the issuance of electronic passports, the provision of general assistance to Bahamian nationals resident in the Tri-State area as well as the provision of general information on The Bahamas to businesspersons and prospective visitors and investors, as well as members of the general public seeking information for educational and other purposes. The Consulate in New York went online with the issuance of machine readable passports and visas in November 2009, and in the first half of the fiscal year issued 1031 visas, 43 passports and 2 emergency passports. These levels of consular activity are expected to continue.
Mr. Speaker,
The Bahamas Embassy in Cuba continues to see increased activity, particularly with regard to consular matters, given the ever-increasing links between The Bahamas and Cuba, with Bahamians traveling to Cuba for health care, further education, tourism and business opportunities. The relationship between The Bahamas and Cuba will also continue to be further refined and enhanced through the implementation of various agreements between our two countries, including in the area of technical cooperation.
Mr. Speaker,
I end my reports, on our Overseas Missions with The Bahamas Embassy in Haiti. The Embassy has over the years performed a yeoman’s task under difficult circumstances, providing assistance to Bahamians in Haiti and providing visa and other consular services. We are all of course aware of the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti on January 12 of this year. I wish to publicly commend the staff of the Embassy, both the Bahamian staff and the locally employed Haitian nationals working for the Embassy, for the tremendous work they undertook under unimaginably difficult circumstances in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, particularly in terms of facilitating the repatriation of Bahamian citizens and residents caught up in the earthquake back to The Bahamas. I particularly wish to commend Ms. Veldia Coleby, who was seconded to the Embassy from the Department of Immigration, who did an outstanding job in this regard. The subsequent appointment of retired Royal Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Clifford Scavella as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to Haiti will assist the Embassy in getting back up and running as soon as possible, as well as in identifying ways for The Bahamas to continue to assist our sister country in getting back on its feet, as our commitment to Haiti and its recovery remains undiminished.
Mr. Speaker,
Members would be aware of the ongoing process of The Bahamas’ accession to the World Trade Organization, as a part of our efforts to deepen our integration into the global economy. It had been our intention to open a diplomatic mission in Geneva, the headquarters of the WTO, in this coming fiscal year. Mindful however of the economic challenges we continue to face, and the resulting budgetary constraints, the decision has again been taken to postpone the establishment of this Mission at this time. Notwithstanding this decision, my Ministry will continue to work closely with the Ministry of Finance in pursuing WTO accession, and will seek to engage our CARICOM and other partners in the international community for assistance and cooperation in this important effort.
Mr. Speaker,
I continue to be very pleased with what my Ministry is able to accomplish, with limited human and financial resources. The Ministry and its staff carry out their functions with efficiency and professionalism. I am confident that this approach will continue to guide us through the coming year. I wish to stress, however, such internal improvements, because of the coordination role which my Ministry is mandated to play must be matched or complemented by our partner substantive Ministries and Agencies. To this end, my Ministry will continue to engage in dialogue with other Government agencies for practical mechanisms to achieve our shared overarching goal of protecting and advancing the national interest of The Bahamas and its citizens.
Thank you.
