ORANJESTAD, St. Eustatius – Statia government officials have completed an Island Secretary training programme that started on Bonaire in January and continued through a series of online sessions.
The final session took place Monday, September 28, at the Nederlandse School voor Openbaar Bestuur (NSOB) in The Hague. It focused on the role of language and timing in public administration and decision-making.
Sessions were led by Professor Mark van Twist of NSOB and Erasmus University Rotterdam and organisational psychologist and public administration scholar Jorren Scherpenisse. Municipal Secretary of Urk Sabrine Roest led the concluding reflection.
The programme examined communication in the Island Secretary’s position between politics, the civil service and society, as well as the influence of planning cycles, deadlines and timing on government processes.
Island Secretary Malvern Dijkshoorn-Lopes said the programme also highlighted similarities between challenges faced by Statia and Dutch municipalities, despite the difference in scale. She said exchanging experiences could help officials adapt lessons from elsewhere to Statia’s circumstances.
