PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The new World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean, Lilia Burunciuc, has concluded a four-day visit to Sint Maarten. This was her first visit to the region since her appointment on July 1, 2021, Burunciuc met prime minister Silveria Jacobs, Sint Maarten’s Council of Ministers, the National Recovery Program Bureau, and other partners.
She chaired a meeting of the Steering Committee for the Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust Fund. The Trust Fund is financed by the government of the Netherlands. She also visited a number of projects financed by the Trust Fund.
“I am pleased to see firsthand the progress that has been made under the Sint Maarten Trust Fund Program,” said Lilia Burunciuc, World Bank Country Director for the Caribbean. “I would like to express to the people of Sint Maarten, the Government of Sint Maarten, and all Trust Fund stakeholders, the World Bank’s continued commitment to ensure the successful implementation of these critical projects for the reconstruction and resilience of Sint Maarten.”
During her four day visit, Burunciuc highlighted the significant progress on the ten projects being financed by the Trust Fund, despite the COVID-19 crisis. Burunciuc toured the Sint Maarten Medical Center, where the new hospital is under construction under the Hospital Resiliency and Preparedness Project. She also witnessed repairs to schools, homes, and shelters financed by the Emergency Recovery Project I, as well as ongoing large scale shipwreck salvaging activities that will facilitate safer navigation under the Emergency Debris Management Project.
She attended the inauguration of a satellite library and visited a playground financed by the Resources for Community Resilience Project, which provides resources to NGOs and community-based organizations for community projects. She also met with two of the fifty owners of small and medium enterprises who have received support under the ongoing Enterprise Support Project.
The country director rounded off her trip with a tour of the Princess Juliana International Airport, which will soon benefit from major reconstruction. Work at the airport is expected to start later this year.
Burunciuc emphasized the importance of continued and close collaboration with the government of Sint Maarten, the prime minister, the Council of Ministers, Steering Committee members, the representative of the government of the Netherlands in Sint Maarten, and a variety of other civil society and private sector partners. Burunciuc underlined her intention to continue the strong relationships between the World Bank and Sint Maarten during her tenure and to achieve concrete, effective and visible results for the people of Sint Maarten.
The Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust is financed by the government of the Netherlands, managed by The World Bank, and implemented by Sint Maarten’s National Recovery Program Bureau.
