Overseas Territories

01 March 2011

The 14 Overseas Territories (OTs) have a constitutional relationship with the UK, and their citizens have a right to British citizenship. The UK Government is committed under the United Nations Charter “to promote to the utmost… the well-being of the inhabitants of these territories”.

The Government’s vision is to create flourishing and vibrant Territories, freer from financial dependence on Whitehall, proudly retaining their British identity and better able to generate improved opportunities for their people. The OTs are a Government-wide responsibility, although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has the overall policy lead within Whitehall.

It is a long-standing policy commitment of successive UK Governments that the reasonable assistance needs of the OTs are the first call on the international development budget. Three OTs, St Helena, Montserrat and Pitcairn, are dependent on aid as a result of extreme challenges including inaccessibility, undiversified economies and declining populations.

DFID’s programme support helps maintain physical access to these islands, strengthen human capacity to deliver public services effectively, including health and education provision, and move the OTs towards self-sufficiency where possible.  

Given the nature of the Government’s responsibility towards the OTs, DFID may also be called upon to support the currently unaided OTs as a result of natural disaster or global events.

DFID’s priorities for the OTs are to:

1. Meet the “reasonable assistance needs” of OT citizens as cost effectively as possible
2. Help aid-dependent OTs become more self-sufficient where possible
3. Manage the UK Government’s financial liability for unaided OTs in crisis