Ministers to Washington for Trust Fund Steering Group, World Bank Meetings

GREAT BAY--“By August 2026, I want to see St. Maarten’s children playing in their school gymnasiums again.” With that clear call to action, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS), Melissa Gumbs, outlined her priority as she prepares to travel to Washington, DC, alongside Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina and Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs.

The three officials will attend meetings of the Steering Committee of the Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction, and Resilience Trust Fund, a fund financed by the Government of the Netherlands, administered by the World Bank, and implemented by the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB). These meetings will focus on the progress and challenges of key recovery projects, including those under the First Response and Livelihoods Project (FRLP) and the Emergency Recovery Project I (ERP-1).

ERP-1, which covers the repair of sports facilities, has faced delays after the termination of a contract with Xinjiang Construction. Minister Gumbs emphasized that the process of retendering is now underway and that her ministry is pushing to ensure these timelines align with the broader recovery discussions taking place in Washington.

“My hope is that as these conversations are happening, we can finalize the retendering documents and move forward without further delay,” she said. “The goal is simple but urgent: ensuring our children can return to their gyms and enjoy safe, fully functional sports facilities.”

Following the Steering Committee meetings, Prime Minister Mercelina and Minister Gumbs will continue on to New York to take part in the United Nations General Assembly as part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Delegation.

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