Philipsburg, On Wednesday April 6, 2016 the Secretary General of Bureau Ombudsman Sint Maarten returned from a working visit to the Netherlands. During the visit, Mr. Duggins met and held discussions with various persons and departments within the National Ombudsman in the Hague and the municipal Ombudsman of Amsterdam in an effort to strengthen the Sint Maarten operation, headed by him.
Main Issues
The main issues discussed during the visit were: strategy and policy, best practices, complaint handling procedures, registration systems and dealing with difficult complaint behavior.
On April 1, 2016, Mr. Duggins also attended the annual congress in commemoration of the 200th anniversary since the implementation of the Constitution of the Netherlands.
National Ombudsman
Each year a High Council of State is recognized. This year the youngest of the High Council’s was put in the spotlight: the National Ombudsman.
Since October 10, 2010 the National Ombudsman represents the BES islands (Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba) with regard to complaints against government and government agencies. Mr. Duggins was briefed on this ongoing process by members of the team.
The congress was organized by the National Ombudsman, the Ombudsman of the municipality of the Hague and the Montesquieu Institute. During the congress various speakers shared their views and experiences in the execution of the function of the Ombudsman. Interested persons can view the first segment of the congress via the link: http://www.montesquieuinstituut.nl/id/vk02p1sxq8og/zeg_ken_jij_de_nationale_ombudsman
Successful Visit
The visit was very successful. The opportunity to network, exchange information and experiences gave room to review and evaluate the operation of the Ombudsman institution of Sint Maarten, and as such added value and an extra benefit for the Sint Maarten operations.
The Ombudsman listens, investigates and recommends government to act on the concerns of the people.
