Jetten announces annual “kingdom conference” in Caribbean

Prime minister Rob Jetten has concluded his tour of the Caribbean by announcing an annual “kingdom conference” in which the governments of the Netherlands’ three autonomous countries – Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten – will sit down with representatives from The Hague to consult one another on an equal basis.

Jetten used the trip, which came unusually early (previous prime ministers have taken years to visit), to announce a “fresh start” in relations between the European and Caribbean territories, according to broadcaster NOS.

The conferences will be organised with “concrete agendas”, aimed at achieving “firm agreements” on contentious issues like poverty, climate change and discrimination, which have a far greater impact on the Caribbean parts of the kingdom than those in Europe.

Bolstering ties

The prime minister also addressed recent controversies around a UN resolution that sought to designate slavery the “greatest crime ever”, on which The Hague chose to abstain – without ever consulting leaders in the Caribbean or Suriname (another former Dutch colony).

Jetten said the abstention “should have been handled much better on the part of the cabinet.” In a press conference alongside Curaçao Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas, he stressed that all four national governments within the kingdom must now work together to create material change.

“The people in our country must notice that their lives are improving,” Jetten said.

Special authorities 

Jetten also visited the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba during his week-long visit. The islands are designated special local authorities of the Netherlands but do not have their own parliamentary governments.

Tensions there are especially high. A report released last month found the islands’ residents face poverty 10 times higher than in the European Netherlands, and that structural disadvantages impact healthcare, education and infrastructure.

The trip also came weeks after the cabinet decided to appeal against The Hague district court’s January ruling that the government had discriminated against Bonaire residents under Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights by failing to draw up a climate plan.

Jorn Kompeer, a political reporter for NOS in Curaçao, told the broadcaster: “After years of difficult relations – especially under the previous cabinet with the PVV – they know here too: seeing is believing.”