GREAT BAY--St. Maarten’s ministries continue to operate too often in silos while serious skills shortages within the public service are hampering policy execution, according to the United Nations’ 2026 Common Country Analysis, which says just 18 percent of the country’s roughly 2,000 public servants possess advanced tertiary qualifications.
The assessment places institutional capacity among the central challenges confronting St. Maarten as Government attempts to carry out reforms, deliver public services and implement long-term development plans. The UN identifies limited technical expertise, staff turnover, weak inter-ministerial coordination and dependence on external consultants as continuing obstacles within the administration.
According to the report, capacity constraints are particularly evident in the Ministries of Finance, Public Housing and Justice. While the public service employs approximately 2,000 people, representing about 4.7 percent of the labour force, the UN says only 18 percent possess advanced tertiary qualifications.
The report also points to St. Maarten’s continued reliance on short-term consultants and expatriate expertise, warning that this affects knowledge continuity and local ownership. When expertise leaves with a consultant or temporary specialist, Government risks losing institutional knowledge that should remain within departments and ministries.
The UN is especially direct about coordination across Government. It identifies policy fragmentation as a systemic problem, saying ministries frequently operate in silos with limited inter-agency coordination. This can become particularly problematic when national issues require several ministries to work together, share information and carry out different parts of the same policy.
Weak performance monitoring is another area highlighted in the assessment. According to the report, few ministries publish annual reports or performance data, limiting the ability of the public and policymakers to determine whether Government programs are meeting their objectives or whether resources are producing measurable results.
The UN also identifies shortages in data analysis, procurement and project management as areas that hamper implementation. These weaknesses are significant because the report repeatedly distinguishes between developing policies and actually putting them into effect, concluding that St. Maarten’s challenge is often not simply the absence of plans, but difficulty translating plans into results.
Limited human resources, high administrative burdens and fragmented coordination continue to constrain policy execution and service delivery, according to the analysis. Procurement bottlenecks and weak monitoring and evaluation systems are also identified as reasons implementation remains uneven even where strategies and sector policies already exist.
The findings are particularly relevant as St. Maarten continues a series of public-sector reforms involving financial management, procurement, human resources and digital government. The report notes early progress in areas such as an Integrated Financial Management Information System, electronic payroll audits and merit-based recruitment pilots in some ministries.
However, modernization of systems will not by itself resolve the underlying institutional weaknesses identified by the UN. The report makes clear that technology, staffing, performance monitoring, institutional memory and cooperation among ministries will have to develop together if Government is to improve execution.
Digital government remains another significant gap. The analysis says only about 30 percent of public services are available online and identifies fragmented databases, legacy software and cybersecurity weaknesses as barriers to greater efficiency. Government’s Digital Government Strategy 2024-2028 is intended to introduce interoperable systems, digital identification and secure online tax filing.
The broader concern running throughout the governance chapter is continuity. The UN says institutional fragmentation, limited administrative capacity and recurring political instability continue to hinder implementation of long-term development plans. Frequent changes in political leadership can interrupt priorities, but administrative weaknesses within the permanent public service can also make it more difficult for policies to survive those transitions.
The report consequently places institutional strengthening among St. Maarten’s major development priorities. It calls for stronger performance management, better data systems, digital government, improved public financial management and greater coordination across institutions.
