Aruba Prime Minister Evelyn Croes-Wever, St. Maarten Prime Minister Leona Romeo- Marlin and Curaçao Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath
PHILIPSBURG–Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten have all agreed to the need for developing policies to effectively respond to socio-economic issues and challenges facing them.
The Dutch Caribbean Kingdom partners are especially taking into account the impact of regional and international developments concerning migration and its consequences for social economic issues. This is but one of several important topics addressed last Friday when the prime ministers of the three countries within the kingdom discussed ways to further intensify collaboration.
The prime ministers agreed on signing a cooperation protocol on migration and population policy. The protocol addresses collective concerns of Small Island Development States (SIDS) with regard to their population and social economic development. The addressed issues and challenges are not only common to SIDS, but also typical because of their small scale and open economies. This, in turn, makes them extra sensitive to developments outside their borders.
Their Social Economic Councils have already pledged to support each other by working together in developing a strategic policy which contributes to improving the resilience of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten. This policy should be based on the most effective use of possibilities and advantages that migration, and in particular labour migration, entails for a sustainable socio-economic development in the countries.
It is the intention that the SERs will jointly organize a symposium on this particular topic in early 2019. Together with all stakeholders, different scenarios will be explored to come to a shared vision on labour migration and refugee policy.
“The goal of developing cooperation agreements like this is to make an effort to transition to mutually beneficial relationships that will strengthen our capacity in the future by making the best use possible of what we have available in the Caribbean region”, said Romeo-Marlin.
Ultimately, the Dutch Caribbean partners will be focusing on national ownership by aligning their national plans to sustainable development goals SDG’s that are of common concern in the Caribbean region.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/82172-dutch-caribbean-partners-sign-protocol-on-migration-population
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