PHILIPSBURG- On Monday, May 30th, a United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) delegation consisting of the Director of the UNOPS Multi-Country Office for Costa Rica, Panama and the Dutch and English-speaking Caribbean countries, the Head of Programs, and the Principal Technical Advisor for Infrastructure and Project management met with the Council of Ministers (CoM) for the kick-off to the first official work visit by UNOPS to Sint Maarten for the prison’s new construction project.  

On behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten, UNOPS received a warm welcome from Prime Minister Silveria E. Jacobs, Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson, Minister of VROMI Egbert J. Doran and Minister of Finance Ardwell M.R. Irion. During the meeting, Prime Minister Jacobs expressed her delight with the arrival of the delegation to Sint Maarten. Minister Richardson shared the Prime Minister’s sentiments and expressed her gratitude to UNOPS and the Dutch Ministry of  Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) for the work visit finally materializing, as it had been part of the technical discussions for quite some time. During the meeting, a presentation was given by UNOPS Director Mr. Alejandro Rossi, introducing the organization and sharing the objectives and goals of the work visit.  

Familiarization 

The main purpose of the work visit was geared toward UNOPS familiarizing itself with Sint Maarten and the various stakeholders in the justice chain that will be involved in the project. In addition, the aim was also to further the discussions on the finalization of the Project Agreement to start phase one of the project which focuses on planning, design and procurement activities for the new prison.