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.
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.
The discussions with UNOPS concerning the prison have predominantly been held on a technical level by representatives of the Ministry of Justice Sint Maarten and BZK, who together with UNOPS representatives, have formed a working group for the new prison project. During the work visit, several working sessions were held to work out further details relating to the project proposal of UNOPS.
Following the kick-off meeting with the CoM, an introductory meeting was held with the prison management team, headed by the Prison Director Mr. Steven Carty. He discussed the current challenges experienced in the prison and the improvements being made to address these challenges. An extensive tour was also provided at the Point Blanche Prison and House of Detention where UNOPS received a good first impression of the facility. Thereafter, the working group also toured the Immigration holding cells and KPSM holding cells.
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Source: Faxinfo https://www.faxinfo.sx/2022/06/07/min-of-justice-anna-e-richardson-looks-back-on-fruitful-unops-work-visit-to-sint-maarten/
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