Ambassador Julian Hunte

Misick welcomed the team of five individuals to the islands, noting that their visit is a very significant one. He went on to say, “The role of the committee is very important to countries or territories which have not yet reached the point of self determination”.

“It is important to inform citizens of their rights and to inform them of the options they have towards self determination,” Misick continued.

The Chairman, Ambassador Hunte, in his remarks noted his delight at having been invited by the Chief Minister to participate in the public education process in regards to self determination, a process which he says is of considerable importance to the future of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

He went on to outline the three legitimate options of political equality, namely:

• Independence
• Independence by way of free association
• Independence by way of Integration

He stressed that the various Instruments on civil and political rights and on economic, social and cultural rights emphasise that self determination is integral to democratic governance and human rights. “There is no substitute for this” he remarked.

The UN Special Mission according to Hunte has a two-fold role, which is:

(i) To assess the situation in the country pursuant to the long standing United Nations mandate to review on a continual basis the situation in each of the remaining 16 non self governing territories.

(ii) To determine what assistance the wider UN system might be able to provide if requested to help the country as the process unfolds.

He commended the active engagement that is ongoing between the Turks & Caicos Islands government and UN bodies such as the UNDP.

Mr. Hunte also emphasised the fact that the UN Special Mission is not in the Turks & Caicos Islands to seek to persuade the people on any particular approach to take in terms of the route to self determination.

“What the Special Mission can do is provide certain insights gained from the experiences of other former territories which have moved to a full measure of self governance” he said.

In saying this, he noted that a key consideration in the achievement of a full measure of self government is the matter of preparation. “Many former territories were not as constitutionally or economically equipped as the TCI when they moved to the next level of their political advancement,” said Hunte.

He continued by saying, “The Turks and Caicos is uniquely prepared in both respects if you choose to move to the next level of political development.”

Following a question and answer session it was brought out by Chief Minister Misick that it is his party’s position to ultimately seek independence at some stage but it is not a matter of seeking independence at this time.

He went on to say, “We don’t intend to campaign on that as an issue going into the general elections and neither are we trying to achieve independence through the back door.” He stressed that independence has to be the clear and general will of the people.

The government has the responsibility says Misick to continue to educate the people and to provide them with the information necessary to make a decision when the time comes.

The UN Special Committee Team consists of:

Chairman, Ambassador Julian Hunte, St Lucia
Member, Ambassador Isikia R. Savua, Fiji
Member, Mr. Kais Kabtani, Counselor, Permanent Mission of Tunisia to the UN Staff
Ms. Denise Cook, United Nations Independent Expert
Dr Carlyle Corbin, a representative from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).