Philipsburg; As the Ombudsman, Dr. Nilda Arduin, prepares to demit office in October of this year after her term comes to an end according to the Constitution, she ensures that the staff is adequately equipped.
No institution can function and develop without properly trained staff. As such the personnel at the Bureau continues to undergo training to better serve the community of Sint Maarten, as the Ombudsman demits office. In June of this year the Secretary General and the Complaint Officers attended the 9th Biennial Caribbean Ombudsman Association (CAROA) Conference on the island of Bonaire, led by Dr. Arduin. The topics of the conference covered the developing role of the Ombudsman, and was followed by complaint handling training sessions facilitated by the prestigious Queen Margaret University of Scotland.
Presently, the legal advisor, Ms. Gwendolien Mossel is participating in an intensive 6-day professional mediation training on Curaçao. The training, facilitated by the “ Centrum voor Conflicthantering” (Center for conflict management) from the Netherlands is accredited by the Mediators Federation of the Netherlands (MfN) and the Dutch Institution of Psychologists (NIP).
The Ombudsman is confident that the public of Sint Maarten can rest assured that the Bureau is adequately equipped to continue to protect the rights of the people, and support the new Ombudsman in his or her function.
