Successful Integrity Summit Dutch Caribbean 2024 in St. Eustatius
Representatives of organizations from all 6 islands of the Dutch Caribbean and from the Ministry of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations (BZK) were in St. Eustatius from the 4th to the 6th of November for the 2nd Integrity Summit Dutch Caribbean.
The summit’s objective was to learn from each other and to exchange knowledge. Participants embraced the idea to set up a Dutch Caribbean office for the promotion of integrity to facilitate the islands with knowhow and expertise. The setting up of such an office will be explored.
At the core
‘Integrity should be carried at the core of all members of our communities, starting with the governmental organizations’, St. Eustatius Island Governor Alida Francis stated during her opening speech.
According to Francis, hosting this summit was of great importance for developing this topic on St. Eustatius to give a boost to the various activities that are planned for the coming years. Recently, an integrity office was established in St. Eustatius which will also facilitate a broad training program for the local government.
During the integrity summit, participants delved deeper into specific topics. There were many topics were on the agenda such as fostering an integrity-conscious culture, working with risk analyses and confidential advisors.
Best practices
The emphasis was on internal expertise. Experienced integrity officers from various islands shared their knowledge, best practices and lessons learned.
The summit on St. Eustatius was facilitated by the Ministry of BZK, in cooperation with SRA-Caribbean & Partners NV, a local bureau specialized in training and advice in the area of integrity and compliance, and Nyenrode Business University.
The participants and the organizers want to move forward with a common agenda. ‘We realize that the operational capacity on the islands is limited. But you don't have to reinvent policies and structures. More cooperation can be effective and can empower the islands’.
Integrity Award
There was special attention for the work of Jeaninne Wong-Loi-Sing, integrity advisor at Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland (RCN). On the 14th of October 2024, Wong-Loi-Sing received the Ien Dales Integrity Award 2024. This prestigious award is presented in the Netherlands to individuals who make extraordinary efforts in promoting integrity within the public sector. Wong-Loi-Sing shared her experience with participants of the summit on St. Eustatius.
Added value
Participants agreed on the added value of setting up a Dutch Caribbean office for the promotion of integrity. This office will assist the islands with an inventory of training possibilities, developing awareness campaigns, collecting best practices and organizing expertise promotion sessions. BZK has offered to recruit a local project leader to further develop this idea.