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PHILIPSBURG:--- The National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) reports the completion of its fifth consecutive year of clean financial audits of the projects it manages under the St. Maarten Trust Fund, which reflects the ongoing commitment to transparent and accountable management practices. This consistency in financial integrity has played a crucial role in supporting the island's ongoing recovery and development efforts. The Trust Fund was established in 2018 and is financed by the Government of the Netherlands and managed by the World Bank.

Currently, the NRPB is managing eleven projects centered on recovery, resilience and sustainability collectively valued at over US $400 million Read more

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~As seen in recent visit by Government of Suriname delegation~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs has expressed satisfaction with the capacity being built in local institutions during her tenure at the head of the Council of Ministers.
This is especially evident in the fields of development and project management, as seen in a recent visit of a delegation from the Government of Suriname to understand the benefits of a centralized project implementation unit (PIU) based on the experiences of the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) and its role in the successful ongoing implementation of the Sint Maarten Trust Fund.

Building local capacity in our institutions has been a top priority during my tenure and I am delighted by the progress we have made Read more

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PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):---Toyin Jagha, Program Manager of the Sint Maarten Trust Fund Program of the Caribbean Country Management Unit, accompanied by the Director of the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB), Claret Connor, and delegation members Staciann Cunningham and Carla Bridglal, met with the Council of Ministers (COM) on Thursday, May 25, 2023, as part of the Trust Fund Program Management Mission to Sint Maarten Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:---  The wastewater treatment system at the Leonald Conner Primary School in Cay Bay has now fully resumed operations, thanks to repairs through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund. Not many Sint Maarten schools can boast of having an in-house system to treat and process the wastewater from its bathrooms and canteen. The Leonald Conner School was one of them - at least that was until Hurricane Irma devastated the island in the early morning hours of September 6, 2017. In addition to severe damage to the schools building, the wastewater treatment plant was rendered inoperable by Irmas catastrophic winds.

Through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, a total of 19 schools are being repaired through its Emergency Recovery Project (ERP-1) Read more

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Thirty volunteers clean up Fort Amsterdam

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday 10th of March, 30 volunteers gathered early in the morning at Fort Amsterdam for a clean-up event organized as part of SXM DOET. After two hours, participants were proud of the large pile of trash collected, including car parts, beach chairs, cables, and zinc debris left over from previous storms as well as bottles and parts of Styrofoam scattered in the dense vegetation. After the clean-up, participants gathered to listen to the EPIC team discuss the Caribbean brown pelican and the importance of its habitat Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:---  More than 90 stakeholders came out and shared their ideas about Sint Maartens solid waste future during a consultation meeting on Wednesday, February 1.
The meeting presented the draft vision for Integrated Solid Waste Management in Sint Maarten by 2030. Based on previous discussions within the government, this document outlines a future in which persons act responsibly and the country is greener and more sustainable. It also sketches a future in which solid waste materials are reduced, reused, and recycled, and where waste management is funded through structural means and executed by a Waste Authority Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:---  Personnel of the Sint Maarten Ambulance Department have successfully completed a five-day training course to familiarize themselves with the four (4) brand-new ambulance vehicles that were delivered in late December 2022.
Conducted by ambulance manufacturer REV Group and Zoll, the training sessions focused on the use and maintenance of the ambulances and their operating systems. It also included a train-the-trainer" component to enable local ambulance workers to provide these operational and maintenance training courses in the future Read more

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BELVEDERE:--- Sint Maarten As most residents settle into their new homes in the Belvedere Towers, they can sleep soundly knowing that the renovations were guided by the Government of Sint Maartens build-back better principle. The results are safer, modern apartments that can better withstand future natural disasters.
Financed through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, the renovations took place in 64 apartments in six (6) residential buildings managed by the Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- After intensive consultation with stakeholders, the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) is in the process of finalizing arrangements to sink the salvaged 27-meter-long tugboat Marion in the Man of War Shoal Marine Park to create an artificial reef and dive site.

Since January 2022, the NRPB has held discussions with a variety of stakeholders, including dive operators, the Sint Maarten Nature Foundation, and the Inspectorate of Shipping and Maritime Affairs of the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT).

Four (4) potential sites were originally proposed for the artificial reef Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Under the Sint Maarten Trust Funds Emergency Recovery Project (ERP-1), repairs to private homes are making steady progress, as evidenced by the turning over of yet another home to a Sint Maarten resident.

In attendance at the handover ceremony on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, was Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Egbert Doran, Dutch representative in Sint Maarten Chris Johnson, and National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) Director Claret Connor.

During this ceremonial gathering, NRPB Director Connor, with the assistance of Minister Jacobs and Minister Doran, handed over the keys to a newly repaired home to the beneficiarys son, who accepted the keys on behalf of his mother.

The beneficiarys home was one of the many damaged during 2017s destructive hurricane season, which affected between 70 and 80% of Sint Maartens local housing sector Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- The Trust Fund Steering Committee (SC) meeting commenced on Monday, March 7, 2022, with the Prime Minister of St. Maarten, Honorable Silveria E. Jacobs present with the team of the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) team for the first physical meeting at the World Bank main office in Washington D.C., since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Present at the SC meeting was the St. Maarten Steering Committee member Mr. Marcel Gumbs, World Bank Country Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Ms Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday, February 26, the Council of Ministers welcomed the members of the Committee of Kingdom Relations of the Dutch Senate to a meeting in the Government Administration Building. The delegation consisted of 15 persons and was escorted by the Dutch Representative of the Netherlands in Philipsburg (VNP), Mr. Chris Johnson. Both parties concluded that it was a fruitful and open conversation about various discussion points, including the relations within the Kingdom along with the COHO and the 12.5% personnel-related cost-cutting measures.

The visit of the Senate was added to a slew of recent positively experienced mainly in-person visits of which the last one being the recent visit of the State Secretary Van Huffelen to Sint Maarten Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday, August 25, 2021, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs held an introductory meeting with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ballast Nedam International Projects B.V., Mr. Roy van Eijsden. Ballast Nedam International Projects B.V. (BNIP) was chosen as the General Contractor for the Airport Terminal Reconstruction Project and officially signed the agreement with PJIAE N.V Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Over the past 24 months, the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) has obtained several pieces of heavy equipment machinery, all of which helps to improve the daily management of the countrys landfill.
The machinery, procured through the St. Maarten Trust Fund under the Emergency Debris Management Project (EDMP), includes a front-end loader, a bulldozer, an alternative daily cover (ADC) silo, and applicator, and, most recently, a new solid waste compactor worth US $740,000.
With the countrys current financial constraints, the purchase and delivery of this equipment provide cost-saving to the Government of Sint Maarten, as it replaces the machinery that the VROMI Ministry was previously renting from third parties Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Today, Thursday, July 15th, new World Bank Country Director for Caribbean Countries Lilia Burunciuc and World Bank Program Manager for the Sint Maarten Trust Fund Michelle Keane paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Silveria Jacobs. During the discussion, Burunciuc pledged her commitment to the progress and finalization of the projects under execution via the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB).

Prime Minister Jacobs stated, This is Burunciucs first official visit to St Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- World Bank Country Director for Caribbean Countries Lilia Burunciuc and NRPB Director Claret Connor on Tuesday afternoon signed a grant agreement allocating US $45 million in additional financing to the Emergency Recovery Project (ERP-1).

ERP-1 is one of the flagship projects of the Sint Maarten Recovery and Resilience Trust Fund, which is financed by the Government of the Netherlands, managed by the World Bank, and implemented by the NRPB.

The signing took place in the presence of Sint Maarten Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs directly after a meeting with the Council of Ministers, World Bank representatives, and NRPB officials at the Government Administration Building.

The additional funding is necessary to complete the wide range of activities under ERP-1, which include repairs to homes, schools, and critical Government buildings that were damaged during Hurricane Irma in 2017 Read more

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Dcomm Airs Shipwreck Recovery & Salvaging Project.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Department of Communication will air on cable tv and post a special video program on the current Shipwreck Recovery & Salvaging project that is currently ongoing in and around the Simpson Bay lagoon and the Mullet Bay pond.

The Shipwreck Recovery & Salvaging project was initiated through the Government of St. Maartens efforts to build back better after the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma, on September 6, 2017.

DCOMM spoke to several stakeholders involved in the project to get an insight into what the project is and how it was progressing.

In the SRS Special, the Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment & Infrastructure (VROMI), Egbert J Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- The US$12 million Digital Government Transformation Project was approved by the Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust Fund. This project aims to enhance the access, efficiency, and resilience of public services for citizens and businesses.

Given Sint Maartens vulnerability to natural disasters, business continuity and systems resilience are critical. Bringing key government services online can make the country more resilient to future disasters, while also making citizens and businesses daily lives easier, said Michelle Keane, World Bank Program Manager for the Sint Maarten Trust Fund.

The project will finance digital platforms and associated institutional, regulatory reforms to lay the foundations for digital government Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:---  On Monday, February 22nd, the Director of the National Recovery Bureau (NRPB) Claret Connor, the Honorable Minister in charge of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS), drs. Rodolphe Samuel and the Director of Windward Roads Infrastructure (WWRI), Pierre Montesant, signed the school repair program agreement Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- The Parliament of St. Maarten passed the draft motion presented by Member of Parliament Omar Ottley that was presented weeks ago when the NRBP accompanied by the Prime Minister of St. Maarten appeared in Parliament. On Monday during the continuation of the meeting, 13 Members of Parliament voted in favor of the draft motion that is geared towards providing work to local contractors and or businesses on St Read more

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 PHILIPSBURG:--- The US$35 million Enterprise Support Project was officially launched today. The project is funded by the Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction, and Resilience Trust Fund, financed by the Government of the Netherlands, managed by the World Bank, and implemented by the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten. The project aims to support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through direct financial assistance to contribute to the restoration of economic activity in Sint Maarten.

Micro, small, and medium enterprises are key for the islands economic recovery and for job creation Read more

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Luxembourg trip a success.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday, January 31ST, the Minister of finance, Ardwell Irion joined a small delegation of the NRPB and PJIAE to the Headquarters of the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg. The main purpose of this high-level visit was to cross the Ts and dot the Is on the 50 million US Dollars loan that the Government of Sint Maarten has signed with the European Investment Bank for Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- This past Friday February 15th , 2018 , the Clothes 4 St.Maarten organization in partnership with Member of Parliament Mr.Claret Connor and businessman Mr.Francisco Lacroes donated boxes of clothing, shoes, cases of bottled water and non- perishable items to the students of Charlotte Brookson Academy of the Performance Arts (CBA)and their families who were affected by the passing of Hurricane Irma.

Clothes 4 St.Maarten started in the Netherlands with the intention to support persons and families who lost everything due to the passing of Hurricane Irma Read more

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~ Starts investigation to recoup funds ~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher disclosed on Thursday that government has no clear indication where or to whom tax-payer money designated for a boxing event in 2015 ended up. “The people’s money is basically missing and for almost three years nobody has been held accountable. I will not end my tenure with this issue lingering and not make a serious effort to secure the funds and seek appropriate recourse if a criminal act was committed here,” the Minister said.

As such, an advice has been prepared for the St Read more

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