New World Bank Vice President to visit St. Maarten

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten, CMC – The newly appointed World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Axel van Trotsenburg, arrives here on Thursday at the start of a two-day visit holding talks with public and private sector officials on efforts to rebuild the island following the passage of Hurricane Irma in 2017.

A World Bank statement said that he would meet with Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin, as well as key representatives from the private sector and civil society to discuss the country’s efforts at rebuilding.

He is being accompanied by Tahseen Sayed, World Bank’s Country Director for the Caribbean and Trust Fund Program Manager Michelle Keane.

van Trotsenburg will visit the Sint Maarten Training Foundation and facilities at NIPA which provides a stipend, training and certifications in hospitality or construction to nearly 900 people who lost their jobs after Hurricane Irma.

He will also tour other recovery projects financed by the Sint Maarten Trust Fund including the Belvedere neighborhood where more than 100 social homes have been repaired by the Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation, the police station in Philipsburg which was recently repaired and upgraded to provide emergency services in case a new hurricane hit the island. In addition,

The economist and development expert will discuss the preparations for fire suppression activities at the waste disposal site at Salt Pond Lake, the World Bank said.