From left: Chairman of the committee that guided the FDA Evaluation Report John Newton, Minister Ronald Plasterk and Minister Angel Bermudez. (Photo by Valerie Kuypers/BZK Ministry)
THE HAGUE–The multi-annual programmes and projects of the Aruba Development Fund FDA were executed in an effective manner, resulting in positive developments in Aruba and creating a foundation for further improvements in the future.
This was concluded in the Evaluation Report Multi-annual Programmes FDA which was presented in The Hague on Monday to Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk and Aruba’s Finance Minister Angel Bermudez.
According to the Evaluation Report, positive developments were reported in the areas of the quality of government, education and law enforcement. It was also concluded that Aruba was doing better in these areas than other Caribbean countries. The Evaluation Report was sent to the Dutch Parliament on Monday.
Between 2000 and 2016, six multi-annual programmes were executed as part of the cooperation relation between Aruba and the Netherlands. Both countries deposited funds in the FDA for these multi-annual programmes.
Through the FDA, a total of 763 projects were financed with a total value of 500 million Aruban Florins, or 263 million euros. The projects were divided over the sectors quality of government, education, public health, sustainable economic development, law enforcement and the “Product Aruba.”
The six FDA multi-annual programmes were evaluated in the period September 2016 to March 2017 by the Economic Research Organisation SEO on the request of the Dutch Government and the Ministry of Finance. The SEO researched the programmes’ effectiveness, the unused potential and the sustainability of the multi-annual programmes.
The SEO also concluded that despite the achieved effectiveness of the cooperation programmes, a substantial amount of potential remained unused. “Through many FDA projects, a basis was created for further development and future impact. Unused potential can be achieved by focusing attention, means and projects on immaterial assets of the Country Aruba, such as institutions, legislation, human capital and policy,” stated Minister Plasterk in the accompanying letter to the Dutch Parliament.
Since the initiation of the FDA in 2000, the Dutch Government deposited about 291 million Aruban Florins, equalling 132 million euros. The last deposit by the Netherlands was in January 2013, while the last deposit by the Aruban Government was early 2017.
The projects that are still running at this moment and which are managed by the FDA will conclude in September 2017. As earlier agreed upon, the definite contribution of the Dutch Government will be determined before the end of 2017. It is the intention to terminate the FDA Foundation per December 31, 2017.
The Dutch financial contribution to the FDA was part of a broader concept of cooperation programmes in the three Dutch Caribbean countries, Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten. “Anticipating the new, more autonomous relation between the Kingdom partners, the Netherlands financially contributed late 2012 for the last time to the cooperation programmes of AMFO and SONA in Curaçao and St. Maarten, and in January 2013 to the FDA. AMFO and SONA were terminated in respectively 2014 and 2016,” stated Plasterk.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/65463-aruban-development-projects-were-effective
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