Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunications Franklin Meyers, acknowledged on Monday, October 24 the international observance of World Development Information Day.
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1972 instituted World Development Information Day to draw attention of world public opinion to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them.
The Assembly decided that the date for the Day should coincide in principle with UN Day, 24 October, which was also the date of the adoption, in 1970, of the International Development Strategy for the Second UN Development Decade.
The Assembly felt that improving the dissemination of information and the mobilization of public opinion, particularly among young people, would lead to greater awareness of the problems of development, thus, promoting efforts in the sphere of international cooperation for development.
Meyers says that the world today significantly differs to 40-years ago when World Development Information Day was established. The flow of information was much more restricted then, while today society lives in the era of the internet and other modern sophisticated modes of telecommunication.
"The need for development information remains extremely important. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is an area that is at the top of the development agenda of country Sint Maarten.
"With 2015 approaching, Government is diligently working to make sure that Sint Maarten will achieve many of the goals set out in the Millennium Declaration," Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications Hon. Franklin Meyers said on Monday.
Minister Meyers added that each member of the Council of Ministers have a role to play in country Sint Maarten achieving those goals as set out by nations around the world under the coordination of the United Nations system.