WILLEMSTAD, SANTO DOMINGO – Curaçao could translate the conclusions of the latest meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (PARLATINO) into a broader policy agenda covering public governance, gun violence, migration, diplomacy, gender equality and evidence-based policymaking, according to Curaçao Parliament members Sandy Losiabaar and Suzy Camelia-Römer.
The Curaçao delegation participated in meetings of PARLATINO’s Commission on Political, Municipal and Integration Affairs at the organization’s permanent headquarters in Panama City on September 3 and 4.
The sessions addressed several issues with direct relevance for Curaçao’s geopolitical and socioeconomic position in the Caribbean, ranging from new approaches to government and public trust to migration as an economic tool and regional responses to firearm violence.
For Losiabaar and Camelia-Römer, the discussions also produced concrete recommendations that could be brought back to the Curaçao Parliament and government. Central to their conclusions is the argument that Curaçao should make greater use of scientific evidence, reliable data and a more human-centered approach when developing public policy.
One of the concepts discussed in Panama was “empathetic governance,” an approach that places people at the center of government decision-making and seeks to balance the interests of individuals, different social groups and society as a whole.
The Curaçao representatives see potential for such an approach on the island, particularly at a time when confidence between citizens and public institutions is an important part of the political debate.
Under this approach, empathy would not simply be treated as a social value but as a principle incorporated into the design, implementation and evaluation of public policy. The objective would be to manage social conflicts democratically, strengthen confidence between government and citizens and ensure that individual rights are protected in a more people-centered manner.
The PARLATINO discussions presented this model as an alternative to governance approaches centered primarily on institutions or economic policy.
Gun violence was another major subject during the two-day meeting. The presentations focused on scientifically supported strategies that governments can use to prevent firearm-related violence rather than relying exclusively on tougher punishment and incarceration.
Information presented during the meeting cited 108,838 firearm deaths in the region in 2025 and stated that these represented 75 percent of the worldwide total cited during the discussions.
For Curaçao, Losiabaar and Camelia-Römer argue that the regional debate provides several possible directions for security policy.
These include tighter controls on the entry of firearms and ammunition, targeted policing in locations with a high concentration of violent incidents, intervention and dialogue programs involving groups or gangs associated with violence, psychological treatment and support for vulnerable young people, and investment in deteriorated urban areas and neighborhoods.
The approach discussed by the commission emphasizes prevention alongside law enforcement. Rather than assuming that longer prison sentences or large-scale incarceration will by themselves produce sustainable reductions in violence, authorities would identify the factors and locations associated with violent crime and direct resources accordingly.
That could have particular relevance for Curaçao because of its small geographic size. A more detailed system for collecting and analyzing crime data could allow police and other authorities to identify specific areas where violence is concentrated and combine enforcement with social interventions.
Urban development would also become part of crime prevention. Improving public spaces and conditions in neighborhoods was among the measures discussed as a way of addressing environments in which violence and insecurity can become entrenched.
The broader recommendation is that Curaçao’s security policy should increasingly be evaluated according to measurable results rather than simply the number of arrests, prosecutions or prison sentences.
The changing geopolitical environment in the Americas was another major topic in Panama.
The commission discussed developments in U.S. foreign and security policy during 2025 and 2026, including greater emphasis on national interests, border control, energy dominance and unilateral action.
For Curaçao, developments in U.S. policy have additional importance because of the island’s location just north of Venezuela, its constitutional position within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and its economic and security relationships with the United States.
The Curaçao delegation’s policy assessment is that the island should maintain a cautious and balanced diplomatic position.
Under the Charter for the Kingdom, foreign affairs and defense are Kingdom matters. Curaçao therefore operates within that constitutional framework while maintaining its own regional economic and political interests.
The position outlined following the PARLATINO discussions favors diplomacy, international law and multilateral cooperation while maintaining Curaçao’s important relationships with the United States.
The delegation also sees the presence of the U.S. Consulate General in Curaçao as an asset that can be used to promote communication and regional stability.
At the same time, the assessment argues that Curaçao should keep its distance from militarization and unilateral military approaches and continue emphasizing diplomacy and international law when regional tensions emerge.
The meeting also examined how governments across Latin America and the Caribbean are responding differently to U.S. foreign policy.
According to the policy overview presented by the Curaçao delegation, Curaçao’s position within the Kingdom requires caution because of the importance of the United States for defense and commerce, while diplomacy, international law and multilateral cooperation remain important.
Venezuela was characterized in the discussions as taking a pragmatic approach connected to oil exploitation and arrangements with the U.S. administration.
Mexico was presented as taking a stronger position in defense of sovereignty and international law against military intervention, while Bolivia was described as opposing intervention and militarization in the hemisphere. Chile was characterized as concerned about unilateral dominance and inclined toward diplomatic and multilateral solutions.
Against that regional background, the Curaçao representatives argue that the island should avoid being pulled unnecessarily into geopolitical confrontation while protecting its security and economic interests.
Migration was another area where the PARLATINO meeting could have significant consequences for Curaçao’s domestic policy debate.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) presented migration not solely as a border-control or social challenge but as a potential instrument for economic development.
That approach could be particularly relevant to Curaçao because of the aging of its population and the resulting pressure on the labor market and social funds.
The policy perspective discussed in Panama calls for governments to manage migration through regulated channels while making better economic use of migrants who are legally present and participating in society.
For Curaçao, that could mean establishing clearer channels for regulated mobility, improving the recognition of professional skills, studies and foreign qualifications, and bringing more migrant workers into the formal economy.
Formalization is particularly important because legally employed workers can contribute to taxes and social insurance funds while receiving labor protections themselves.
The Curaçao delegation also points to the possibility of creating financial instruments, including access to credit and development funds, that could allow migrants participating legally in the economy to become more productive and potentially create businesses and employment.
Another recommendation is to measure the economic effects of migration more systematically.
Rather than allowing the debate to be driven primarily by perceptions, government would collect and publish data showing the costs and benefits associated with migration, including employment, tax contributions, social fund contributions, entrepreneurship and demand for public services.
This connects directly with another major conclusion from the PARLATINO meeting: Curaçao needs to invest more heavily in information and reliable data.
Losiabaar and Camelia-Römer argue that Parliament and government need stronger systems for collecting information so that legislation and public policy can increasingly be based on measurable evidence and scientific research.
The recommendation applies not only to migration and security but across government. Better data would allow policymakers to determine whether programs are producing their intended results and to change policies when the evidence shows that they are not working.
Democracy and equal political participation were also discussed extensively during the Panama sessions.
The meeting considered conclusions from a United Nations Development Programme report and reaffirmed PARLATINO’s Model Law for the Consolidation of Parity Democracy.
The model seeks equal participation of women and men, based on a 50-50 principle, throughout state institutions.
Losiabaar and Camelia-Römer recommend that Curaçao examine adopting the model-law principles with the objective of moving toward equal representation of women and men in governmental, parliamentary and judicial bodies.
Such a step would go beyond encouraging more women to participate in elections. Under the approach discussed within PARLATINO, gender parity would become a structural principle governing participation throughout public institutions.
The Curaçao representatives also want greater transparency within parliamentary committees.
They recommend increasing the publication and accessibility of information concerning committee activities so citizens can better follow the legislative process and understand how Parliament reaches decisions before matters arrive at a public meeting.
Greater committee transparency, they argue, could contribute to rebuilding public confidence in the legislative process and give citizens a clearer understanding of the work taking place behind parliamentary decisions.
Taken together, the recommendations emerging from the September 3 and 4 meetings amount to a potentially broad policy agenda for Curaçao.
They connect crime prevention with social policy, migration with economic development, diplomacy with Curaçao’s constitutional position in the Kingdom, gender equality with democratic reform, and government effectiveness with better information and scientific evidence.
For Losiabaar and Camelia-Römer, the next question is therefore how much of what was discussed at PARLATINO can be translated from regional declarations and model legislation into concrete Curaçao policy.
Their recommendations call on Parliament and government to consider the Model Law for the Consolidation of Parity Democracy, increase transparency surrounding parliamentary committees and strengthen Curaçao’s capacity to collect and analyze data.
On security, the emphasis would shift toward a combination of tighter firearms controls, targeted policing, early intervention, psychological assistance for vulnerable youth and investment in neighborhoods.
On migration, the objective would be to regulate mobility while recognizing qualifications, formalizing employment and measuring migrants’ contribution to Curaçao’s economy and social system.
And in foreign relations, the proposed direction is one of caution: protecting Curaçao’s strategic relationship with the United States and its position within the Kingdom while continuing to emphasize diplomacy, international law and multilateral cooperation.
The overall message from the Curaçao delegation is that PARLATINO should not function merely as a forum for international meetings. The value for Curaçao will ultimately depend on whether the ideas developed at the regional level lead to measurable changes in legislation, parliamentary practice and government policy at home.