Governor of Sint Maarten pays courtesy visit to OECS Director General

OECS Media Statement

Governor of Sint Maarten, H. E. Dr. Eugene Holiday, paid a courtesy call on the Director General of the OECS, H. E. Dr. Didacus Jules on May 23rd 2019.

The meeting centered on mutually beneficial avenues for cooperation, particularly in the areas of disaster management and emergency response.

Dr. Holiday expressed Sint Maarten’s keen interest to deepen relations with regional organisations and strengthen working relations with the countries in the region, given shared challenges related to climate change impacts and disaster risk management.

Dr. Jules underscored the importance of coordination among the French, British and Dutch chain of islands to ensure critical military and recovery assets are deployed in a seamless manner following a disaster.

“In the face of such serious challenges, where mere minutes can mean the difference between life and death, cooperation in disaster response and risk reduction is more important than ever.”

“In the aftermath of the hurricanes of 2017, one of the lessons learned when engaging with the affected states was the need for pooled procurement of disaster recovery supplies.”

“The mixing of independent and non-independent Member States can work well to strengthen what we all seek to achieve,” Dr. Jules noted.

Further discussions were held on cooperation in the areas of education, entrepreneurship, health, environmental matters, tourism and agriculture.

Both parties also discussed the possibility of Sint Maarten’s membership to the OECS.

Saint Martin, the French side of the island, is expected to become an Associate Member of the OECS in the latter part of this year.

Tahira Carter

Senior Communications Specialist, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States

OECS Communications Unit

Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States

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The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is an International Organisation dedicated to economic harmonisation and integration, protection of human and legal rights, and the encouragement of good governance among independent and non-independent countries in the Eastern Caribbean. The OECS came into being on June 18th 1981, when seven Eastern Caribbean countries signed a treaty agreeing to cooperate with each other while promoting unity and solidarity among its Members. The Treaty became known as the Treaty of Basseterre, so named in honour of the capital city of St. Kitts and Nevis where it was signed. The OECS today, currently has eleven members, spread across the Eastern Caribbean comprising Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Martinique and Guadeloupe. 

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