As a result, in 2009 a record number of projects were submitted and approved, for a total of 165 million guilders, financed from Dutch development funds.
The majority of the projects were from the program Social Economic Initiative ('SEI').
According to Professor Jaime Saleh LL.M., Chairman of the Netherlands Antilles Development Foundation (SONA), the new coordination structures within the entities have proven their success.
He stated to be pleased to see that 184 projects were submitted and no less than 142 financing agreements were signed within the frames agreed with the Netherlands. A record in the 5-year existence of SONA and USONA.
"The entities have adopted a more vigorous attitude in order to thus make the most of the possibilities offered by the Dutch development funds," says Saleh.
With such a quantity of projects, it is understandable that sometimes the necessary implementing capacity is not adequate enough in certain specific areas. In order to get stagnating projects back on track and to provide beginning projects with a smooth start, the implementing organization USONA maintains a close relationship with the planning offices and the Executive Councils of the island territories. In addition, good contacts are sustained with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations ('BZK'), and the Representation of the Netherlands in the Netherlands Antilles ('VNW'). Furthermore a master class 'Project in Uitvoering' has been organized to better equip the island territories.
The SONA Board (Prof. Mr. Jaime Saleh LL.M., chairman; Mr. Eugene Holiday M.Sc. secretary; and Mr. Wilbert Stolte, treasurer) welcomes this faster submission and implementation of projects by the various entities. The programs are ambitious and important to the whole of the society in the (still) Netherlands Antilles.
In addition to the Dutch development funds, (U)SONA also manages other funds such as those from the European Union (9th EDF). This has the positive effect that synergy may occur between different programs and flows of money. In that case it is essential that the allocation of resources is consistent with the objective of the program in question. Thus SEI resources were used for the preparatory activities of projects within the Urban Infrastructures for the Socially Deprived Areas program, whereas the implementation of these projects is financed from EU funds.
The 2009 annual report can be found at www.usona.an.
