SER Essential to Inclusive Stakeholder Dialogue for Country St. Maarten
The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams held a meeting with the Board of the Social and Economic Council (SER) prior to the opening of their brand new building at Harbor View on Friday. During the meeting the Prime Minister was presented with the 2012 Year Report of the SER.
The Prime Minister stated that as Prime Minister she has been stressing the need for consultation for discussing with various sectors and the need for representatives of the different organizations of St. Maarten to get involved in the thinking process of where all would like St. Maarten to be. "The SER is an institution that is part of the advisory system that is built around Government and is based on its own organic law that establishes how the SER is appointed and we need to view the office as a Board of different representatives with a staff at its disposal and is growing into a full-fledged social and economic council. The SER is required to advice Government on the Socio-Economic Development of St. Maarten and if laws that touch the social economic sector of Government we need to hear the SER. The SER is an important organization that includes the interests of the Social and Economic fields and is therefore essential to the functioning of St. Maarten," concluded the Prime Minister.
The SER was established in May of 2011and has as its main goal the advising of government on policies and draft laws in the social and economic field. The Government of St. Maarten requests advice from the SER on matters of a social and economic nature and the SER in turn offers advice to Government on draft laws and policies that fall within its mandate. The Prime Minister initiated the Social Economic Council in May 2011 and conducted the first official meeting of the council at the AC Whaley Legislative Hall that same month.