UK & Overseas Territories Joint Communiqué
The UK and Overseas Territories issued a Joint Communiqué following the 2025 Joint Ministerial Council Meetings in London, spanning topics including democracy, governance, sanctions, security and more.
Introduction
1. We, the Minister for the UK Overseas Territories and the Elected Leaders and Representatives of the Overseas Territories, convened the 2025 Joint Ministerial Council [JMC] in London from 24 to 27 November. This year’s JMC was guided by our shared commitment to ‘Protect, Grow, Sustain – Together’, reflecting the fact that the Territories are members of the British family. Ministers and representatives from across the UK Government: the Home Office; the Department for Climate Energy Security and Net Zero; the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; the Ministry of Justice; HM Treasury; the Ministry of Defence; the UK Export Finance; the Department for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth; the National Cyber Security Centre; and the FCDO Special Representative for Nature attended the JMC. His Majesty The King hosted Elected Leaders and Representatives at a reception at Buckingham Palace to mark the bonds with the Overseas Territories. Together we renewed our commitment to a partnership built on mutual respect and shared responsibility. We expressed a shared ambition to deliver real-world impact for our communities.
2. We reaffirm our mutual commitment to democracy and celebrate the successful conducting of democratic elections in Anguilla, Ascension, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Pitcairn, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha, and Turks and Caicos Islands since the Council last met.
3. We value the visits to the UK including of Premier Ebanks in June 2025, Premier Wheatley in June 2025, Chief Minister Picardo in November 2024 and January and November 2025 and numerous visits by the Falklands Members of the Legislative Assembly and the visits by the then Foreign Secretary to Gibraltar in June and the Minister for the Overseas Territories to Gibraltar, Cayman Islands and Bermuda in September 2025. We welcome the visit by HRH The Duchess of Gloucester to Bermuda in October, and the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to Montserrat in April.
4. The Elected Leaders of the Overseas Territories welcome the support provided by the Commons and Overseas Territories Speakers’ Annual Conference for the Speakers of the Territories.
Together: Partnership and governance
5. We reaffirm our support for the five principles established in the 2024 Joint Ministerial Council to guide the UK’s relationship with the elected Governments of the Overseas Territories. These are:
a. Devolution and democratic autonomy for the Overseas Territories, and consistency on the principles of partnership and engagement
b. Listening to the Overseas Territories, following the principle of “nothing about you without you”
c. Partnership with the Overseas Territories based on mutual respect and inclusion, applying to all UK Government departments – rights come with responsibilities, including the responsibility to uphold our common values
d. Good governance and ensuring proper democratic accountability and regulation
e. Defending the Overseas Territories’ security, autonomy and rights, including the right of self-determination
6. We rededicate ourselves to a modern, respectful and engaged relationship that responds to Territory-specific priorities and strengthens the bond between the UK and the Overseas Territories. Furthermore, we welcome the UK’s continued commitment to engage closely and proactively with each Overseas Territory whose democratic will is to revise their constitution.
7. The UK and the Territories agreed to develop Partnership Compacts between the UK and any Territory that wishes to. Partnership Compacts are intended to provide tailored, practical frameworks for advancing shared priorities, and to signal a renewed commitment to partnership. At the JMC we agreed the basis upon which to develop the Partnership Compacts in a collaborative manner. The Territories noted the development of a UK Government Charter on Engagement with the Overseas Territories which seeks to reinvigorate and strengthen how the UK Government engages with the Territories.
8. The UK confirmed that the 2012 White Paper ‘The Overseas Territories: Security, Success and Sustainability’ serves as the foundation of the modern partnership. The Overseas Territories offered to identify their proposals in response to developments in the global landscape since 2012.
9. The UK remains committed to meeting the reasonable needs of Territories where financial self-sufficiency is not possible. The Overseas Territories continue to have the first call on the UK’s aid budget to facilitate sustainable economic growth and development. The UK will continue to assess gaps in critical national infrastructure and engage on them with recipient Territories. The UK reaffirms its commitment to supporting Territories’ transition to economic independence. Furthermore, the UK will continue to represent Territories’ interests in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee [DAC], as part of country Official Development Assistance [ODA] eligibility and graduation. The UK recently, in partnership with Montserrat, helped secure a pause to Montserrat’s ODA graduation, pending a wider review of graduation criteria. The Overseas Territories reiterated that they should be able to access development funds from regional and global multilateral institutions. The UK will continue to champion this objective, recognising that these decisions are for the individual institutions. We acknowledge the challenges posed by elevated global inflation. The UK recognises the real gap left when Territory organisations and programmes lost access to EU funding. The UK is working with the Territories to target assistance where it best matches the UK’s responsibilities and the Territories’ needs.
10. We reaffirm our joint commitment to tackling illicit finance, sanctions evasion and corruption, by upholding and continuing to strive for the highest international financial standards, including those set by the Financial Action Task Force and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
11. We welcome the launch of a Publicly Accessible Register of Beneficial Ownership [PARBO] by St Helena. We note the Falkland Islands’ recommitment to launching a PARBO by summer 2026. We welcome the introduction of legitimate interest access to existing registers of beneficial ownership by the Cayman Islands in February 2025 and the Turks and Caicos Islands in June 2025 and note Cayman Islands’ June 2025 commitment to further improve user access.
12. We note commitments by Anguilla, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands, to continue delivery of their registers in line with the commitments made at the previous JMC. The UK will provide technical support where this is requested.
13. We note commitments by Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands to hold further technical discussions starting in the coming weeks to ensure that we deliver the maximum possible degree of access and transparency whilst protecting the right to privacy in line with respective constitutions. Elected Leaders and the Minister of State will reconvene in early 2026 to review progress and provide a comprehensive update.
14. We recognise the continued commitment of the Overseas Territories to the effective implementation and robust enforcement of UK sanctions, which are central to advancing foreign policy priorities including deterring Russian aggression in Ukraine and promoting human rights and tackling corruption. We recognise that the Overseas Territories have frozen assets worth well over US$11bn. We call for sustainable global peace and for the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law.
15. We renew our commitment to strengthening sanctions capability, to considering the merits of introducing civil powers to tackle breaches and to enhancing our cooperation with international partners; and will continue to work in partnership to build on the recent achievements of the Overseas Territories in developing their sanctions systems. We recognise the efforts of the British Virgin Islands to strengthen their sanctions capability, including through the Virgin Islands Sanctions Unit. We also recognise the work of the Cayman Islands and the success of their approach to sanctions implementation through Operation Hektor.
Protect: Security, sovereignty and resilience
16. The UK reaffirms its commitment to defending UK sovereignty over each Territory against external threats. The UK and Overseas Territories recognise that threats to the Overseas Territories are deemed to be a threat to the UK.
17. Due to the island geography of most Overseas Territories, maritime security is critical to economic stability, overall security, and the protection of the marine environment. The UK Government remains committed to providing support within the maritime domain of the Overseas Territories.
18. The principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, as enshrined in the UN Charter, applies to the peoples of the British Overseas Territories. The UK and Overseas Territories reaffirm the importance of respecting and promoting the right of self-determination for the peoples of the Territories which is a collective responsibility of all parts of the UK government. We will continue to explore ways in which the Overseas Territories can maintain international support in countering hostile sovereignty claims. For those Territories with permanent populations who wish it, the UK will continue to support requests for the removal of the Territory from the United Nations list of non-self-governing Territories. The UK will continue to support those Territories who wish to attend the Special Committee on Decolonisation [C24] and UN Fourth Committee meetings.
19. The UK pledges to work decisively with all Territories affected by rising crime to uphold our responsibility to protect their people and to strengthen security and justice across the UK family. We underline that such a serious challenge can only be addressed sustainably by holistic and multi-agency solutions: through co-ordination, defence and operational support and reform across the security and criminal justice sectors, through regional co-operation, and action which also addresses core societal problems, and includes appropriate safeguarding measures.
20. We welcome commitments by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Government of Bermuda to the foundation of an Atlantic Child Advocacy Alliance that will pool expertise across Bermuda, the Falkland Islands, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha to strengthen child advocacy services across those Territories.
21. The UK commits to working in partnership with the Overseas Territories to support the capability and capacity required for affected Territories to tackle complex challenges from irregular migration including from those seeking asylum, building on the successes of the regional Asylum Training programme currently delivered by the Home Office, and ensuring the stability of the Overseas Territories.
Grow: Economic growth, trade and opportunity
22. Sustainable economic prosperity is central to our shared future. We celebrate the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics, which show total trade between the UK and the Overseas Territories is worth around £17 billion annually including tariff-free access for Overseas Territory exporters to the UK. We commit to expanding this relationship through deeper engagement and by economic cooperation. We welcome collaboration with British Expertise International, including a business networking event at the JMC, and continued engagement with UK Export Finance and the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council [CWEIC]. The UK will support closer links between the Overseas Territories and the Commonwealth, and we will work together to explore opportunities for the greater participation of the Territory Governments and peoples in its organisations. We commit to supporting Territories participation in Commonwealth trade forums and shall continue to address the impact of tariffs on Overseas Territories.
23. We warmly welcome Glasgow’s hosting of the 2026 Commonwealth Games which is an exciting opportunity to showcase the strength of our Commonwealth partnerships and reaffirm our enduring commitment to the values enshrined in the Commonwealth Charter. The Games will serve as a vibrant platform to celebrate the creativity, innovation, and diversity of the United Kingdom and its Overseas Territories. We look forward to using this moment to deepen collaboration and promote economic growth, democratic resilience, and climate action across all Commonwealth nations and territories.
Sustain: Human development, environment and innovation
24. We acknowledge the importance of an integrated and equitable approach to human development.
25. We acknowledge the work done by the UK Health Security Agency to improve capacity in the Territories health systems, boosting their ability to identify and react to health emergencies. We welcome greater Overseas Territories access to the NHS Jobs recruitment platform, helping to fill key healthcare roles in the Overseas Territories. The UK reaffirms its commitment to work with the Territories to improve access to healthcare, education, and workforce development, including mental health, early years and elder care.
26. We acknowledge concerns about pension uprating for some Overseas Territories’ residents who worked in the UK and are permanent residents in the Overseas Territories on their retirement. We acknowledge the inclusion of pensions uprating in the MOU between the UK Government and the St Helena Government relating to the British Indian Ocean Territory in October 2024 and shall endeavour to expand these opportunities to other Overseas Territories.
27. We note the Territories’ continued request that Overseas Territories students attending university in the UK are eligible for maintenance loans with the understanding that policy for maintenance loans outside England is a devolved matter.
28. The Overseas Territories are a shining example of biodiversity and continued stewardship of these unique ecosystems is critical in the face of global environmental change. Our collective efforts to protect the diverse environments that the OTs are responsible for contribute to the achievement of the global goals and targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework adopted under the Convention on Biological Diversity. These invaluable marine and terrestrial environments and their unique and endemic species contribute directly and indirectly to livelihoods, quality of life and cultural identity in the Overseas Territories.
29. We note the greater likelihood and potential severity of extreme weather events, which would place the Overseas Territories, their citizens and infrastructure at risk. We will continue to work together to build resilience within the Territories and provide support to the Territories in the aftermath of such extreme weather events. The Territories welcome the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office’s commitment to a Climate Finance Support Programme announced by Minister Doughty at the Joint Ministerial Council.
30. We reaffirm our joint ambition to protect these ecosystems and address the climate and nature crises. We welcome the publication of the UK Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy. This marks the beginning of a new journey towards improvements in policy, legislation, support, collaboration and engagement, for the benefit of our flora and fauna, habitats and ecosystems. We welcome and encourage continued UK support this year for Overseas Territories environments and biodiversity through Darwin Plus and for the marine environment through the Blue Belt Programme.
31. We acknowledge the good work done by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office under the Climate Security programme for the UK Overseas Territories to identify where climate change is a threat multiplier to economic and other sectors in the Territories.
32. Given the vulnerability to climate change and the biodiversity of the British Overseas Territories, we welcome the participation of the Overseas Territories alongside the UK in international fora, including COP30 to promote our collective interests. We draw attention to the steps several Overseas Territories are taking to reduce greenhouse emissions despite total emissions being miniscule on the global scale. We are demonstrating that green and climate-resilient economies are possible and facilitate the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals that benefit all of our citizens. The UK and Overseas Territories are supportive of the use of vulnerability analyses to inform evidence-led climate finance allocations.
Closing remarks
33. The Joint Ministerial Council remains the highest forum for political dialogue between the UK and the British Overseas Territories. We affirm that the Overseas Territories are vital members of our global British family working together to overcome shared challenges. We reflect on the deep, historic and enduring partnership between the UK and the Overseas Territories and recognise those relationships continue to evolve. We celebrate the diversity of our communities and cultures. We are united by shared values and are committed to building a modern, inclusive, and resilient partnership that delivers for all our peoples.
