NEW YORK – Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof briefly referred to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom during his address at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, linking global challenges to the Kingdom’s diverse realities.

Dutch delegation at the U.N.

Schoof emphasized the interconnectedness of today’s major issues, noting that the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with territories in different regions of the world, experiences this firsthand. “Take food security,” Schoof said. “In the European part of our Kingdom, we are approaching the limits of what the earth can sustain. Meanwhile, the Caribbean part of the Kingdom has seen how vulnerable people become when they depend on others for their food security.”

The Prime Minister pointed to the pandemic, the closure of the border with Venezuela, and the subsequent global surge in prices as moments when the Caribbean’s dependence on imports was fully exposed.

Investment in Local Agriculture

To address this vulnerability, the Dutch government earlier this year committed €24 million as seed funding for a revolving fund aimed at boosting local food production on the islands. The initiative is designed to attract contributions from financial institutions such as pension funds, ensuring long-term support for sustainable agriculture.

The measure comes amid broader efforts to strengthen resilience in the Caribbean territories, where high import costs, limited arable land, and external shocks often put pressure on food availability and affordability.

Kingdom Delegation Present

Curaçao’s Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas and Aruba’s Minister Wendrick Cicilia were part of the Kingdom’s delegation at the UN General Assembly, underlining the shared interest in global discussions on sustainability, resilience, and equity.

Schoof’s remarks, though brief, placed the spotlight on the Caribbean’s specific challenges and the Kingdom’s responsibility to address them collectively.