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Press release
Date: Sept 3rd 2014
Following the Trade Conference in St. Maarten, held in May this year, a strategic conference will be held on St Eustatius on September 8-9th. The conference is a joint initiative of the Statia and Saba Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Executive Councils of Saba and St. Eustatius. The conference is the starting point of a process, which aims to make an inventory of the potential of sustainable economic development on the two islands by trade (including tourism) and investment and to identify in concrete relevant projects. The conference will be facilitated by the Dutch CBI (www.cbi.eu), who has facilitated a similar conference in Bonaire and -as a result- is currently performing a so-called Quick Scan in Bonaire.
Participants of the conference will be stakeholders from relevant sectors, as well as from public and private bodies of St. Eustatius and Saba. The intended outcomes of the conference will be:
The signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between representatives of the private and public sector (bodies).
A list of possible projects, ideas and plans for the two islands that can be further specified in the follow-up process. One of the criteria of all projects, ideas and plans is the contribution to potential of sustainable economic development on the two islands by trade (including tourism) and investment.
The envisaged follow-up of the conference is a Quick Scan (similar to the one in Bonaire), in which the (feasibility of the) identified projects can be further explored and developed. Part of the follow-up process will be institutional development: target groups are Business Support Organizations (BSOs), like business associations and the Chamber of Commerce, who could have a (joint) responsibility in coordinating and / or implementing projects.
