Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks with St. Maarten Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin in a one-on-one interview.
THOMAS, USVI–Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conducted a one-on-one interview about “Leaders on the Frontlines of Climate Change” with Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery held in St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) June 3-4.
Romeo-Marlin fielded questions from Clinton about the recovery process almost two years after Hurricane Irma devastated the country, among other things. They discussed the major areas of concern for St. Maarten related to climate change and the priorities to advance the goal of becoming a resilient nation.
Romeo-Marlin said in a press statement: “There is a lot of work ahead of us. Preparing for climate change requires us to rethink our approach to our economic and social strategy. We must begin to have an open dialogue on what the possible effects can be and start the process of seeking viable solutions to mitigate any possible damage to our beloved country St. Maarten in the future.”
Of the interview with Clinton, Romeo-Marlin said, “I was able to share a number of important topics and initiatives that are important to St. Maarten.” The Clinton Global Initiative conference was “very impressive” and is one of the first conferences she had attended “where public and private partnerships were promoted,” she said.
The 25-minute interview is available via the Clinton Foundation Facebook page under the video tag: “Leaders on the Frontlines of Climate Change.”
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative convenes global and emerging leaders to create and implement solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Its mission is to turn ideas into action.
As part of the working visit to St. Thomas, Romeo-Marlin met Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency VITEMA Director Darryl Jaschen. She toured the operation centre, and learned about the emergency planning and structure, communication tools and mechanisms used in the event of a disaster in the USVI.
A meeting was also held between Romeo-Marlin and US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region II US Virgin Islands Recovery Director Jacqueline Heyliger. They discussed the role of the US federal government in disaster response and FEMA programmes in the USVI
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/88112-hillary-clinton-and-pm-talk-climate-change-at-clinton-global-initiative
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