SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Secretaries General of the various Ministries, together with the Secretary General to the Council of Ministers, recently completed a compact and intensive interactive workshop facilitated by the Holiday Institute for Governance and Economics (HI). The training, titled “Public Governance Concepts and Practices: The Role of Senior Civil Servants,” commenced on November 26 and concluded on December 1, 2025.
The workshop was primarily financed by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) through the Temporary Work Organization (TWO) under the Country Packages, in support of ongoing efforts to strengthen public administration and improve governance practices.
While similar sessions on Public Governance were previously provided to the Council of Ministers and Parliament, this program was specifically tailored to the role and responsibilities of the Secretaries General within the Government Administration. The workshop covered several key modules, including:
- Foundations of Governance
- Policy Development and Decision-Making
- Innovation and Digital Governance
- Strategic Planning
- Trends and Challenges in Governance
- The interface between the political sphere and the civil service
According to HI president Drs. Eugene B. Holiday, the program was designed to strengthen the leadership and advisory capacities of senior civil servants, equipping them with skills to navigate complex government challenges. The workshop emphasized practical approaches grounded in internationally recognized governance best practices to support sound, consistent, and comprehensive decision-making.
Participants expressed their commitment to applying the insights gained to enhance policy consistency, strengthen their advisory roles, and improve the overall effectiveness of public service delivery. They further acknowledged the value of strengthening proactive engagement, both in their individual leadership roles and collectively through the Secretaries General (SG) Platform, to support timely and effective decision-making across the administration.
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