Deepening Strategic Engagement for Curaçao's National Development

The United Nations Resident Coordinator for Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, Joanna Kazana, conducted an official visit to Curaçao from 31 March to 3 April 2026, to deepen the UN's strategic engagement with the Government of Curaçao at a pivotal moment for national reform and sustainable development. 

The visit featured high-level meetings with the Governor, His Excellency Mauritsz de Kort, the Prime Minister, The Honourable Gilmar Pisas, and the full Council of Ministers, as well as a Development Stakeholders Roundtable convened in partnership with the Social and Economic Council (SER). The visit also included a guided tour of the historic area of Willemstad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

During her meetings, RC Kazana presented the findings of the UN's Common Country Analysis (CCA) for Curaçao, which outlines the UN system's assessment of the country's development trajectory and will inform the forthcoming Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF) for 2027–2031. 

She congratulated Curaçao on its achievements in health, education, and economic resilience, while identifying key opportunities to diversify the economy beyond tourism, advance the digital transformation of public services, accelerate a just energy transition, and place sustainable development at the core of national policymaking. 

RC Kazana also highlighted Curaçao's competitive advantage as a member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and encouraged the country to position itself as a regional exemplar — particularly on security — for CARICOM and the broader Caribbean.

 At the Development Stakeholders Roundtable, participants identified a broad range of structural challenges facing the country, with education and skills development emerging as particularly urgent priorities. Participants also stressed the need to cultivate a new generation of entrepreneurs equipped not only with trade skills but with business acumen, digital literacy, and access to finance, representing a broader cultural shift from employee to job-creator. 

The Resident Coordinator underscored the UN's role not in building national capacity to implement coherent, cross-sectoral solutions. She encouraged Curaçao's civil society and development partners to use the UN as a platform to share the country's own best practices with other member states across the Caribbean and beyond.