Best Practices in Economic Development and Sustainability
Urges for Results of the Symposium to be put into Practice
The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams opened the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry Symposium Series entitled Business Opportunities and Best Practices in Economic Development and Sustainability.
During her opening address the Prime Minister thanked the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for their efforts in establishing the necessary dialogue in creating the right business atmosphere for the country: "This Symposium, Business Opportunities and Best Practices and its focus on St. Maarten as a business hub for the region is essential. Through the initiatives of the Chamber of Commerce we have seen an increase in dialogue taking place between the Private and Public Sectors and has been essential in contributing towards the process of contributing to the National Development Plan for country St. Maarten," stated the Prime Minister.
The Symposium featured a keynote address from the Kingdom Ambassador to Panama His Excellency Wiebe Jakob De Boer who also went on the sign a Proclamation and Interaction Agreement with the Kingdom Representative in Panama, thus fostering closer economic ties with that region.
The PM also went on to reiterate that on St. Maarten it behooves the Public and Private sectors to also look at education, not only as a sub hub but also as a driver for education in and of itself. "We often boast of being at the vanguard of tourism and trade, however the question we need to answer is whether or not our hub culture is significantly recognized and exploited. This symposium is therefore very important in terms of identifying what the state of affairs is on our island with regards to human capital, innovation and the climate for fostering business and industry on St. Maarten and indeed for making it the hub for the region.
"Make no mistake, what we need is active collaboration and active development. As I mentioned the National Development Plan for St. Maarten seeks to accomplish exactly that, but in the meantime let us hope for some quick successes. I once again re-iterate my call for an economic think tank which would only make sense if we are committed to follow through. We need active consensus building and it is my hope that this symposium will serve as an impetus for creating action. I also hope to see our University be counted as a sub-hub as well. Instead of a momentary feel-good high which you often get from these types of Symposia I urge everyone to act on the outcomes. And that is my challenge to you," concluded the Prime Minister.