SXMElections.com

National Recovery Program Bureau Completes Fifth Year Of Clean Financial Audits

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten 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

---

Candidates in this article:

More Than 90 Stakeholders Share Their Ideas About Sint MaartenS Solid Waste Future

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten 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 on Sint Maarten by 2030. Based on previous discussions within 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.

After the presentation of the draft vision, attendees participated in a public roundtable discussion Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Ambulance Workers Complete Operational And Maintenance Training For New Ambulances

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten 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.

At a combined cost of approximately US $1.2 million, the new ambulances were procured through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, which is 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.

Since 2018, the Sint Maarten Trust Fund has invested in equipment for Sint Maartens firefighters and ambulance workers, as well as in repair work to the Philipsburg and Simpson Bay police stations and Fire and Ambulance building to fix damage caused by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Resilience Has Been Built Into Every Part Of The Newly Renovated Belvedere Towers

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

---

Candidates in this article:

President Of Parliament, Grisha S. Heyliger-Marten Finalizes Courtesy Visits

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten In her capacity as President of the Parliament of Sint Maarten, Member of Parliament Mrs. Grisha S. Heyliger-Marten scheduled several courtesy visits to various entities on Sint Maarten.
The courtesy visits which commenced during the week of March 7-11, 2022, continued throughout the weeks of March 21-25, 2022, and March 28- April 1, 2022.

Upon her election as President of Parliament on November 26, 2021, the Hon. Mrs. Grisha S. Heyliger-Marten deemed it necessary to meet with various entities in the island for an introductory visit.

On Monday, March 28, 2022, the Chairlady of Parliament met with Public Prosecutor, Ms Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Prime Minister Jacobs Attends Trust Fund Steering Committee Meetings

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — 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

---

Candidates in this article:

Mp Emmanuel Says Nrpb Must Explain 1,400 Homes Repaired Statement

~ Wants a detailed report published ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament wants the Director of the NRPB Claret Connor, through the Prime Minister of St. Maarten, to provide a detailed outline/report to the public of St. Maarten of the 1,400 homes and buildings that State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen said were repaired on St Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Site Visit Marks The Start Of The Renovation Of The Belvedere Towers

BELVEDERE, Sint Maarten Major renovation work to severely damaged social housing in Belvedere has now begun, marked by todays informal site visit by several key stakeholders.

In total, exactly 64 apartment units in the six residential towers of Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) will be fully renovated under this contract. This activity prioritized by the Government of Sint Maarten is part of the Emergency Recovery Project (ERP-1) of the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, which is financed by the Government of the Netherlands, managed by the World Bank, and implemented by the NRPB.

The units – locally known as The Towers – were damaged during the passage of the 2017 hurricanes Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Sint Maarten Hosts Trust Fund Steering Committee

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 Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Prime Minister Jacobs Meets With Ballast Nedam International Projects Ceo

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — 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

---

Candidates in this article:

World Bank Country Director Burunciuc Pledges Commitment To St. Maarten

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

---

Candidates in this article:

Us $45 Million In Additional Financing Allocated To Erp-1

Philipsburg World Bank Country Director for Caribbean Countries Lilia Burunciuc and National Recovery Program Bureau (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

---

Candidates in this article:

Repairs Completed At Sr. Regina Primary School

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — With the necessary operational repairs now complete, the students at Sr. Regina Primary School will finish off the 2020/2021 school year in refurbished buildings that are safer, watertight, and more hurricane resilient.

The works at Sr. Regina were part of the school repairs activities under Emergency Recovery Project I of the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, which is funded by the Government of the Netherlands, managed by the World Bank and implemented by the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB).

Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Rodolphe Samuel and his supporting staff, representatives of the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI), NRPB Director Claret Connor, and representatives of Foundation Catholic Education St Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Isolation Units Now Allow For Safe Transport Of Contaminated Patients

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — The Ambulance Departments ability to safely transport patients suspected of being contaminated by naturally occurring disease outbreaks, pandemics or industrial accidents has been strengthened with the addition of seven new patient isolation units. These units were procured by the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) through the Dutch funded St. Maarten Trust Fund.

The Emergency Recovery Project 1 (ERP1) of the Trust Fund, in addition to the repair of public buildings and private and public homes, provides for first responders emergency equipment and priority vehicles Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Resources 4 Community Resilience Launches Us$452K In Local Projects

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — The Resources 4 Community Resilience (R4CR) project was officially launched during a Zoom meeting and Facebook livestream on Wednesday November 18. The ceremony was hosted by radio personality Kevin Suppa Petrona (who is also the local R4CR Communication and Outreach expert) and Jose Sommers (R4CR Capacity and Training Manager). The R4CR program is a grant scheme that focuses exclusively on financing and strengthening local Civil Society Organization (CSOs).

The program is financed by the Government of the Netherlands via the St Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Home Repairs Continue, Enters Into Accelerated Pace

Philipsburg Now firmly in its third phase, the Private Home Repair Program of the Sint Maarten Trust Fund is steadily moving along with repairs to homes damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017. It is anticipated that when the program wraps up in mid-2021, repairs to the roofs, doors, and windows of approximately 200 private homes will be completed. To date, fifty-one homes have been finalized and another ten homes are slated to be done before the years end.

The pilot project and minor works homes took a lot longer than anyone anticipated Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Up Requests Urgent Meetings On New Hospital, Public Health And Prison

PHILIPSBURG – The United People’s (UP) Party Board announced on Wednesday, March 29, that the party’s parliamentary faction has called for two meetings of Parliament.

The UP faction has requested an urgent meeting via the President of Parliament to have the Minister of Public Health be present to provide information related to developments surrounding the proposed new General Hospital, the current state of affairs at the St Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Mp Connor Attends Aruba National Day Celebrations.

ARUBA – United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Claret Connor, was in attendance of the St. Maarten vs Curaçao soccer match in support of the St. Maarten under-13 soccer selection squad, during an official weekend visit to Aruba in celebration of its 2017 “Dia di himno y Bandera” National Anthem and Flag Day ceremonies.

MP Connor stated that it is important as leaders to show support “…to our developing youth as they value our attention and support very much and are encouraged to know we care about their wellbeing.”

“Despite the loss to an obviously stronger Curaçao team, St Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

The First 100 Days Of Parliament?

On February 7, 2017, Parliament celebrated one hundred days in office. It is customary to evaluate a government’s performance, after they have been in office for one hundred days.

Parliaments, however, are generally overlooked when it comes to such an exercise. Seeing that St. Maarten got a most “unusual” parliament after the September 2016 elections, I became interested in wanting to know how effective this parliament has been during its first one hundred days, from October 31, 2016 to February 7, 2017 Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Mp Connor Spreads The Joy Of Christmas To Three Organizations

PHILIPSBURG – Member of Parliament (MP) Claret Connor, was spreading the meaning of giving at Christmas time.

The MP delivered cooked turkeys and hams to the I Can Foundation, Key to Freedom Rehabilitation Center and New St Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Minister Jacobs Attends Brown Pelican Sports Awards Ceremony

COLEBAY, Sint Maarten — The 2nd annual St. Maarten Brown Pelican Sports Awards (SBPSA) ceremony, honoring local athletes and sporting legends, was held on November 13, at Princess Port-de-Plaisance under the tent.

The SBPSA was the initiative of the Sports Department and hosted by the Minister of Sports Silveria Jacobs. Other invited guests in attendance were Governor Eugene Holiday, President of Parliament Claret Connor, and MP Ardwell Irion Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Minister Jacobs Attends 9Th Curasur Basketball Finals

PHILIPSBURG – On Friday, November 4, Minister of Sports Silveria Jacobs attended the final game of the 9th CuraSur Masters Basketball tournament in the sports auditorium.

The countries represented in the 9th annual veterans’ tournament were Curaçao, Suriname, French Guyana, Holland and St. Maarten. The tournament was opened by the Minister on Monday, November 1, with the anthems of each country being played, while the country flags were displayed Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Prime Minister Requests Urgent Meeting Of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG – Prime Minister William Marlin in his capacity also as Member of Parliament (MP) said on Sunday afternoon, November 6, that he will be requesting that Chairman of Parliament MP Claret Connor convene an urgent meeting of Parliament to discuss the ongoing problems at Captain Oliver’s Marina.

Prime Minister Marlin said that up to Sunday evening no response was received from the Préfet Deleguee of St Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Sarah Wants Date Of Next Parliament Meeting

PHILIPSBURG – In a letter addressed to new Chairperson of Parliament Claret Connor, on November 4, Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescott-Williams, requested to be informed of the next meeting of Parliament.

“Kindly inform me when the next (public) meeting of this Parliament will be convened to appoint members to the committees of Parliament, so that subsequently these committees can meet and appoint their (vice)chairpersons,” she stated in her letter.

“I hope this is next week, as I believe that it is of utmost importance that the committee of General Affairs be formed, as this committee should invite the Minister of General Affairs to apprise the Parliament of the escalation of tension between the 2 sides of the island as far as the Oyster Pond boundaries are concerned,” the letter continued.

“Verbiage, used by the Prime Minister of St Read more

---

Candidates in this article: