Left to right, Hon. Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams, Technical Focal Point for European Union Development Programs Loekie Morales, and Senior Policy-maker at the Department of Foreign Affairs Khalilah Peters.
GREAT BAY (GIS)—At the University of St. Martin, the Honorable Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams was handed the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Report for Sint Maarten.
The significance of this report is not to be underestimated. We shall use this document as a basis for the National Development Program for our newly established country—Sint Maarten.
As such, the MDG report serves as a guiding document whereby all sectors of government will be able to use this research-based information to further develop Government policies.
The first Report on MDG was put together by the (MDG) workgroup, consisting of civil servants of several ministries, members of NGO’s, and the private sector—guided by Loekie Morales of the Department of Interior and Kingdom Relations.
This report will afford many in the development of Sint Maarten in various capacities as a working and guiding document and a basis for the National Development Plan.
The making of the MDG report consists of collecting and analyzing data about the eight MDGs and has recommendations on how to proceed with the goals.
Sint Maarten as partner in the United Nations Millennium Declaration of 2000 along with countries around the globe is working diligently to accomplish the goals by 2015.
Edo Stork and Okama Brook, representatives of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and co-writers of the MDG report, were present at the presentation of the report to the Hon. Prime Minister.
They have given their appreciation and compliments to the work done by the MDG Workgroup.
The report is a joint production of Curacao, Sint Maarten and the UNDP.
Present were Secretary Generals, Department Heads, members from non-profit organizations, and other members of the community.
The MDG’s are eight internationally-agreed targets aimed to reduce poverty, hunger, maternal and child deaths, diseases, inadequate shelter, gender inequality and environmental degradation by 2015.
