British High Commissioner reaffirms UK's commitment to St Vincent

Scott Furssedonn-Wood, High Commissioner to Barbados & Eastern Caribbean and Vincentian Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, had a telephonic conversation on Friday.

Saturday, 8th May 2021

Scott Furssedonn-Wood, British High Commissioner to Barbados & Eastern Caribbean and Vincentian Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, had a telephonic conversation on Friday. British High Commissioner Scott Furssedonn-Wood confirmed the UK's involvement to assist St Vincent and the Grenadines in its critical and longer-term recovery from the volcanic explosions. Scott Furssedonn also commended the government's immediate response of evacuating over 20,000 inhabitants from red and orange zones. British High Commissioner Scott Furssedonn wrote on his Twitter, "Great to speak to PM @ComradeRalph & reaffirm commitment to St Vincent & The Grenadines. UK has made a major contribution to La Soufriere emergency response & will continue to support SVG longer-term sustainable recovery & economic development."

[embed]https://twitter.com/UKScottFW/status/1390818325819703300[/embed]

The two officials spoke about the UK's ongoing aid – with the latest institutionalisation being £550,000 ($695,000 USD) in crisis funding. This will be distributed via the World Food Programme (WFP) and will help families displaced by the volcano meet their paramount nutrition, hygiene and other quintessential requirements for three months. The latest commitment brings the UK's emergency aid to over £800,000 ($1m USD) as the explosions began on April 9 – following a more immediate relief of £200,000 ($278,000 USD) to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) within 24 hours of the first outburst. The instant release to CDEMA facilitated the immediate mobilisation of local support teams and stocks for the initial assistance work. The United Kingdom had provided £51,000 prior to the explosive eruptions. The financial assistance was for aerial helicopter surveillance and facilities establishments to investigate changes in the volcano and support early warning for a timely evacuation. The UK is supporting the international response in St Vincent and the Grenadines in several important ways. The country is a major contributor and longstanding patron to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which has so far allotted $1m (approximately £719,000) to St Vincent and the Grenadines in answer to the eruptions. The aid is being used for water, sanitation and hygiene, alongside maintaining livelihoods.