2000 but stayed on as Senior Minister until 2001. Mitchell was also foreign minister from 1984 until 1992 and a Privy Councillor beginning in 1985. He served as the Chairman of the OECS Authority in 1988, 1995, and 1996; at the 1995 meeting, Mitchell advocated for the inclusion of Barbados. Mitchell led the Commonwealth observer team at the election in Lesotho in 2002. He also was a member of the InterAction Council. Political positions Mitchell endorsed the Grenadines becoming a separate nation from St. Vincent: in a 1984 election campaign speech, he opined that the incumbent government was continuing the colonial policy of favouring St. Vincent. He also supported greater political integration of Caribbean countries. In 1987, at the eighth conference of heads of government in the Caribbean Community, he stated, "As I see it, we must have one flag, one anthem and freedom of movement of people, services and capital." Role as agronomist During his time as prime minister, Mitchell co-founded the Caribbean Agricultural Regional Development Institute (CARDI). In his opening address at the 1st Caribbean Agricultural Technology Conference (CATC) held in St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2000, Mitchell emphasized that "agriculture must thrive" and overcome regional challenges. Using the regional banana industry as an example, he pointed out that disruptions would affect not only farmers, but also related sectors such as transportation. To aid the industry, Mitchell outlined his government's policies to promote crop diversification as well as land redistribution to increase production. Mitchell wrote on a variety of issues in agriculture and Caribbean society, included the topics of fungicide usage and land reform. His autobiography Beyond the Islands was published by Macmillan Caribbean in 2006. Illness, death and tributes On 31 October 2021, Mitchell was admitted to Milton Cato Memorial Hospital in Saint Vincent due to multiple illnesses, including gallstone, kidney failure and an enlarged prostate. He was later diagnosed with dengue fever. He was then flown to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bridgetown in Barbados for advanced medical treatment on 3 November 2021, and was additionally diagnosed with pneumonia. On 18 November 2021, he was transferred to Port Elizabeth Hospital in Bequia. He died there five days later, on 23 November, at the age of 90. Mitchell was the last living parliamentarian to have served at independence in 1979. The government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines announced three days of national mourning through 25 November, with