News

Only Four of Twenty Biodiversity Targets On Track to Achieve Goals in the Dutch Caribbean. A recently published report issued by the Kingdom of the Netherlands has sounded the alarm that only four of twenty ‘Aichi Targets’ of the ‘Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’  have been achieved in the Dutch …

On Wednesday, October 16th , an 18-year-old man with initials J.A.Z. was arrested in Fort Bay, Saba, for failing to comply with an order or claim and opposition to arrest. KPCN

The Medical Disciplinary Court Dutch Caribbean (Medisch Tuchtcollege Caribisch Nederland – MTCN) completed its first cases this week. It concerned three disciplinary complaints against two doctors and one dentist. One of the complaints was partially declared justified and a warning was issued. The other two complaints were declared unfounded. Every …

Dutch Museum Saba organized in the past years in September the Open Monuments Days, which is a Dutch annual national event in September. However the lack of tourists in September made us decide to look for another opportunity. In the month of October there is always on Saba the remarkable …

In the last quarter, the prices of goods and services on Saba were on average 0.3 percent up year-on-year. Clothing, fresh fruit, and vegetables rose in price. Fresh fruit and vegetables were 28.5 and 9.4 percent more expensive respectively. Petrol was 6.0 percent more expensive while electricity was 13.7 percent …

Last week a delegation from Saba and St. Eustatius visited the Kingdom Tournament in Bonaire. The group consisted of Public Entity Saba, Sports United Federation Saba, Public Entity St. Eustatius, St. Eustatius Sports Facility Foundation and, A+ academic & Professional Training Centre. The Kingdom Tournament is a specially developed youth …

The upcoming convention of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) will be taking place on Bonaire this year and will focus on youth participation, marine park management, coral restoration, research, and strategic planning. All six National Park Management organizations from the Dutch Caribbean and the key players and other local …

Saba’s emergency services were rushed to a dormitory building on Thais Hill Road in The Bottom around 7:30am Saturday, for a gas explosion that left one man severely burned. A loud crack was heard throughout The Bottom that morning and a large plume of white smoke was seen coming out …

On Saturday, October 12th , around 9.25 AM, the police station was notified of an explosion in a home on the Thais Hill Road on Saba. The occupant of the house was very burned and had to be flown over to Sint Maarten for further medical treatment. The fire brigade …

Don’t go to Saba Island if you are looking for a beach, you won’t find one on this Caribbean island. You also won’t find a stoplight, bugs, fast food, buildings over 4 stories, crime, or cruise ships. If you are looking at this list and thinking, “This sounds like a …

A practical solution is being sought with all stakeholders to speed up the issuing of work permits in Saba. For now, there will be no transfer of this authority to the public entity Saba. Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops informed the Second Chamber of …

The project to refurbish the Queen Wilhelmina Library in The Bottom has successfully concluded. The results are neat: a cozy reading area, including a small coffee bar with drinks and snacks for purchase, a revamped computer area and a modern meeting space. On Thursday, October 10, the soft opening took …

Partners in Parenting is a collaborative initiative by Expertise Center Education Care (EC2), the Department of Community Development and Public Health. This program is geared towards providing practical support for parents and creating a platform where parents can come together and share their experiences and advice on various topics. In …

Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) on Tuesday made a passionate appeal to finalise the transfer of the authority of issuing work permits from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour SZW to the public entity Saba. Van Raak, …

Reducing illegal possession of (fire) arms is in the interest of everyone, in order to achieve this, in the period of October 21 to October 27 on Saba and Statia and October 28 to November 3 on Bonaire, there will be a turn-in campaign of (fire) weapons. The aim of …

All pensioners, 65 years of age and older who receive a pension from PCN and is resident on Saba can pick up their pass on October 30th, 2019 at the Government Building. Our representative Mrs. Ingra Bennett will hand over the passes between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM. Please walk …

Tourism, Economic Affairs, Trans­port and Telecommunica­tions (TEATT) Caretaker Minister Stuart Johnson recently signed a memo­randum of understanding (MOU) with Saba Com­missioner of Tourism Bruce Zagers that aims to foster a closer working relationship in tourism development and joint promotion of St. Maarten and Saba. The MOU was signed in Saba …

A group of six daycare teachers, two after-school care teachers, a few teacher assistants of the Sacred Heart primary school, and some persons of other organizations have started the Caribbean Vocation Qualification (CVQ) Early Childhood Education training at the Saba Comprehensive School (SCS). Teacher Floyd Pryce from Jamaica has been …

The general public on Saba is invited to a townhall meeting this Friday, October 11, regarding prescriptive rights. The townhall will be held at the Eugenius Johnson Center in Windwardside on Saba and will start at 6pm. The most common real property issues that persons on Saba are faced with …

On behalf of the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature & Food Quality, the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) together with local organizations made a nature television program highlighting the results of some of the ‘Nature Funding’ projects of each of the public entities of Bonaire, Saba en St. Eustatius. The …

Since July 1st, 2019, the Occupational Safety Decree IV CN has been in force in the Caribbean Netherlands. This decree describes, among other things, rules on workplace safety for the diving sector, for working with asbestos and physical strain. Both employer and employee have an interest in a safe and …

The Dutch gov­ernment is motivated to give fol­low-up to various recommenda­tions of the Council of State and the Intra-Departmental Policy Assessment Kingdom Relations IBO regarding establishing an execution agenda with the pub­lic entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, turning the BES Fund into an investment fund, review­ing the division of …

UNICEF sees an increase in urgency and resolve among decision-makers and actors to improve children’s rights on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The children’s rights organization concludes this after conducting research into the situation of children on the islands at the request of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom …

The recent report of the National Ombudsman about poverty among elderly persons in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba confirms the necessity of the input of the Dutch government to improve the income position of people in the Caribbean Netherlands and to reduce the high cost of living. Dutch State Secretary …

In the past few weeks representatives of OCW in the Caribbean Netherlands have presented the first printed Employee Handbooks to the school boards on St. Eustatius, Saba and Bonaire. Meanwhile, the teachers have also received a copy of this handbook. The Employee Handbook is meant for the educational staff employed …

Saturday, October 5, is International Teacher’s Day. Commissioner Rolando Wilson wishes all teachers a happy Teacher’s Day. The Commissioner pointed out that the success of any nation has its roots in a solid education foundation. “Today we celebrate the corner stones of our education foundation, and that is you, our …

Commissioner of Education Bruce Zagers and Island Secretary Tim Muller on Wednesday, October 2 had a meeting with Director-General of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) Alida Oppers at the Ministry in The Hague. The Saba delegation provided the Director-General, who is very familiar with Saba as she …

Everyone at Sacred Heart School, the students, faculty members, staff members, bus drivers, and even guests, showed their support and willingness to educate others about Down Syndrome. Everyone devoted their time to coloring a paper ribbon and adhering it to the large Down Syndrome ribbon poster. Teacher Helen, the Remedial/ Special Ed …

In consultation with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (I&W), the Public Entity Saba has decided to further explore the alternative location for the harbor in the Giles Quarter area. Commissioner Bruce Zagers, Island Secretary Tim Muller, policy advisor Sarah van der Horn-Plante and harbor project manager Ton van …

Saba Commissioner Bruce Zagers and Island Secretary Tim Muller are currently in The Hague for talks at the various ministries, and to meet with Members of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament and State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops. In the course of this week, …

Commissioner Wilson wishes all senior citizens a happy Senior Citizens Day. Isaiah 46; 4 reads: Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue …

The Public Entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in a joint letter that they send to State Secretary of Social Affairs and Labor Tamara van Ark on September 17, expressed support for the steps that the State Secretary is taking to eradicate poverty on the islands. However, more is needed. …

The Public Entity Saba recently signed an agreement with the company Cadwell Inc. from Boca Raton, Florida, to remove all recyclable material from Saba. This includes the pile of scrap metal at the landfill, the removal of car wrecks and the contents of the storage facilities with recycled glass, cardboard, …

A special retirement ceremony for two civil servants of the Public Entity Saba, Mrs. Yvonne Hassell-Simmons and Mr. Joseph Hassell, was held on Thursday, September 26. Family and colleagues got together in the Court room at the administration building to wish Mrs. Hassell-Simmons and Mr. Hassell a happy retirement. Island …

A group of eighteen civil ser­vants of Government De­partment Caribbean Neth­erlands RCN and the Public Entity St. Eustatius partici­pated in a joint two-day Ef­fective Writing Training at Gertrude Judson Bicenten­nial Public Library, Septem­ber 17-18. The training is part of a pi­lot project whereby the RCN Shared Service Organization (SSO) training …

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (Autoriteit Consument & Markt, ACM) has published the method it will use in the coming six years to annually set the maximum tariffs for the production and distribution of electricity and drinking water. This method builds on the current method, which is valid …

Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bi­jleveld will be visiting the Dutch Windward Islands this week. In addition to visits to Dutch soldiers in St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius, she is expected to have discussions with various authorities in the islands. In St. Maarten, Bijleveld will visit the Royal Nether­lands Marechaussee’s …

In October 2020 the people of St Eustatius will again go to the polls to elect a new island council. These elections are the next step towards the restoration of normal administrative relations with the island after the Netherlands’ intervention a year ago. This news was announced by State Secretary …

A Tropical Cyclone Advisory is in effect for St. Eustatius and Saba due to heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Depression Karen, the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute KNMI said in its Tropical Cyclone Bulletin of late Monday afternoon. Through Wednesday, rainfall accumulations of between one and three inches, with a slight …

The Public Entity Saba continues to invest in its personnel. Several training projects are testimony to that: the management development program PEP and the project management training WISP. Civil servants who participated are satisfied with these trainings. “The PEP training gave me different strategies and ways how to carry out …