Philipsburg – On Wednesday June 12th, Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin and Steering Committee member Mr. Marcel Gumbs returned from Washington D.C. where they attended the first official meeting of the Steering Committee. After landing on Sint Maarten, the Prime Minister announced that the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) is now fully ready: 

“After months of intensive preparations with the World Bank and stakeholders, I am excited to announce the presentation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The NRRP will be our roadmap toward building Sint Maarten back better. It offers a comprehensive strategy to guide our country to a more resilient and sustainable future. I look forward to presenting the NRRP to Parliament and to the people of Sint Maarten in the coming weeks”. 

During the Steering Committee meeting, the Netherlands’s representative, Mr. Frans Weekers, complimented the Government of Sint Maarten on the NRRP: 

“I have a lot of appreciation for the efforts of the Government of Sint Maarten in preparing this crucial document. The NRRP forms a solid basis to make choices for the recovery process and to invest together in the future of the island”, Mr. Weekers said. 

In addition to the NRRP, the Steering Committee discussed the final preparation of the first projects that will be financed by the Trust Fund. These projects will help to address some of the most urgent needs of the people of Sint Maarten by repairing homes and critical public buildings, removing debris and offering training programs for affected communities. 

The Government of Sint Maarten remains eager to work closely together with the Netherlands, the World Bank and the people of Sint Maarten to speed up the recovery process. When asked about the cooperation in the Steering Committee, Sint Maarten’s representative, Mr. Marcel Gumbs, emphasized that the first meeting was very successful: 

“I’m extremely pleased with the cooperation with the Netherlands and the World Bank in the Steering Committee so far. We fully agree on the urgent need to help the people of Sint Maarten in an accountable and effective manner”, Mr. Gumbs stated. 

The next meeting of the Steering Committee is scheduled to take place on Sint Maarten in the second week of July. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan will likely be discussed in Parliament later this month. More information on the NRRP can be found on the Government’s website and the Facebook page of the National Recovery Program Bureau. 

Photo caption: From left to right: Steering Committee Member Mr. Marcel Gumbs, Ms. Tahseen Sayed (World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean), Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin and Mr. Frans Weekers (The Netherland’s Representative to the Steering Committee). Ms. Sayed and Prime Minister Romeo-Marlin hold a copy of the presented NRRP.