PHILIPSBURG--To celebrate the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, University of St. Martin (USM), the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations BAK and UNESCO St. Maarten will kick off their Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) seminar series in USM Lecture Hall Room 202 on Thursday, October 17.
Doors will open at 6:30pm.
Guest speakers will include Raymond Jessurun of the Sint Maarten Anti-Poverty Platform and Rose Pooran-Fleming of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA.
An introduction to the Seminar Series and to the topic of SDG #1 will be offered by Loekie Morales.
Just like the first cycle of seminars held last year at USM, co-sponsors hope to stimulate public debate on socio-cultural, economic, security and environmental issues that affect the island’s population on both sides of St. Maarten. Through the seminars, USM also hopes to strengthen its curriculum and research profile.
“The Eradication of Poverty is number one on the list of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, in St. Maarten, we continue to speak of poverty alleviation,” said USM President Antonio Carmona Báez.
“On Thursday, we will hear from both government and civil society on the issue of poverty. It is also a perfect opportunity for voters interested in participating in the upcoming elections, to get informed about what can and needs to be done in St. Maarten,” Carmona added.
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is an international observance celebrated every year on October 17 by the “UN family.”
