PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister Egbert Doran began initiating his plan of action for 2023 as he closes off the year 2022. In doing so the Minister made visits to both the Netherlands and Curaçao right before the Christmas holidays. These visits are part of the Minister’s vision for the Ministry of VROMI for 2023.
In preparation for the United Nations Water Conference 2023, Minister Doran attended the Caribbean Water Conference in Curaçao which was hosted by the Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water, Mark Habers, in collaboration with the Republic of Tajikistan. The conference was designed to take in Caribbean perspectives on issues around ‘water’ to be presented at the international conference in New York in March 2023.
According to the Honourable Egbert Doran, “One of the greatest threats to our region is climate change. As Small Island Developing States (SIDS) we in the Caribbean bear most of its negative impact. In 2017, we were hit by the strongest hurricane on record, at the time, in the Atlantic basin. Hurricanes Irma and Maria cost the country USD$2.1 billion in damages and since that year, we have seen a disproportionately high number of major hurricanes in this region. Despite being recognized as SIDS, the Caribbean countries in the Kingdom still don’t have access to global funding to combat climate change on the one hand and must fund such initiatives independent of Dutch funds, on the other.”
At the upcoming UN Water Conference, the International Panel for Deltas and Coastal Areas (IPDC) will be launched. The IPDC is envisioned to be a platform to support delta countries and small island states in formulating and organizing climate adaptation strategies for their delta and coastal regions. IPDC will support and enhance the resilience of valuable ecosystems, livelihoods, and economic assets, amidst other social challenges such as food security, loss of biodiversity and energy supply. The Kingdom is spearheading the establishment of this platform in response to the call of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its report of March 2022 to take coordinated and accelerated action to increase climate resilience globally and maintain biodiversity.
In early December, while in the Hague, Minister Doran hosted a job mixer in collaboration with the Minister Plenipotentiary at the Sint Maarten House. The job mixer saw several persons in attendance. The attendees were professionals from Sint Maarten who currently reside in the Netherlands, some of whom have been in the Netherlands for more than 10 years. All persons expressed their interest in returning home to contribute towards improving their home country.
The participants also expressed the challenges experienced over the years while seeking employment on Sint Maarten. Some persons received no response to applications sent into government in the past, added to the feeling that they were overqualified or not welcomed. The professionals that came out have backgrounds in management, finance and the technology sector. Most also with a bachelor's degree and higher.
During the mixer, Minister Doran with the support of the Head of Permits Department and Acting Head of Infrastructure Department, Charlon Pompier, gave a presentation about the Ministry VROMI and the current critical vacancies in need of filling. There was a slideshow setup where projects of the Ministry VROMI could be viewed. The vacancies are posted on the Government’s website and available for viewing.
The session concluded with a question and answer segment where various concerns were brought forward and discussed. The participants were given the opportunity to officially apply for the open vacancies and the Minister assured the applicants that follow up would take place by the end of the year. From the prospective candidates, Minister Doran anticipates the filling of most positions after the selection process by the 1st of March 2023. This is welcomed as critical vacancies need to be filled to carry out the Ministry’s mandate.
