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Philipsburg, Sint Maarten Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) are hosting a visit of the Steering Committee of the Sint Maarten Recovery and Resilience Trust Fund, from Wednesday, December 1, to Friday, December 3, 2021.

Following the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in 2017, the Netherlands allocated approximately 470 million Euros to help Sint Maarten rebuild and increase its resilience to future natural disasters. The Trust Fund is financed by the Government of the Netherlands, managed by the World Bank, and implemented by the NRPB on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten. 

The Steering Committee is the Trust Funds decision-making body. Comprising one representative each from Sint Maarten, the Netherlands, and the World Bank, the Steering Committee evaluates project proposals and decides on their goals, objectives, and allocated financing. The Steering Committee is made up of Lilia Burunciuc (World Bank, Director for the Caribbean), Marcel Gumbs (Sint Maarten), and Frans Weekers(The Netherlands). 

During its visit to Sint Maarten, the Steering Committee will be informed by the NRPB about the status and progress of existing and forthcoming projects. This serves to prepare the Steering Committee for its next official decision-making meeting, which is scheduled for January 2022. 

As of December 2021, there are eight projects under implementation for a total envelope of up to US $400 million. These projects are the Airport Terminal Reconstruction Project, the Emergency Recovery Project (ERP-1), the Emergency Debris Management Project (EDMP), the Emergency Income Support and Training Project (EISTP), the Enterprise Support Project (ESP), the Hospital Resiliency and Preparedness Project, the Resources for Community Resilience Project (R4CR), and the Child Resilience and Protection Project. 

There are three projects in preparation for a total envelope of up to $50 million. These projects are the Fostering Resilient Learning Project (FRLP), the Digital Government Transformation Project (DGTP) and the Mental Health Project. On the request of the Steering Committee, the World bank and the NRPB are also preparing a proposal for a potential housing project of up to $20 million. 

As the project implementation unit of the Government of Sint Maarten, the NRPB is working diligently to help our country be better prepared for all future disasters. While work sometimes takes longer than we all hope, I am happy to see the significant results that we have achieved so far, said NRPB Director Claret Connor. 

All of the projects implemented through the Trust Fund ultimately benefit the country and its people. There are still potential projects that need to be discussed and deliberated by the Steering Committee, and Government will do everything to facilitate the Trust Fund projects as we collectively continue to build a better Sint Maarten for all, added Prime Minister Jacobs. 

For more information about the NRPB and the Trust Fund projects, please visit the NRPB website at www.nrpbsxm.org.

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