WILLEMSTAD - Curaçao’s Social and Economic Council (SER) has held talks in Madrid with its counterpart from the Dominican Republic about a proposed conference on migration within the Caribbean in early 2027. The council wants to draw on regional experience to address questions of employment, public services and social cohesion in Curaçao.
The discussions took place during meetings of AICESIS and RICESIS on October 29 and 30. SER sees the proposed conference as a chance to share knowledge about how migration within the Caribbean contributes to the economy and what conditions allow society to benefit. Migrants’ circumstances and experiences should also be part of that discussion, the council said.
The talks build on an earlier exchange. At an online meeting earlier in October, Dr. Sabrina Dinmohamed, a SER senior adviser, presented her research to the Dominican council. Her work examines migration from the Dominican Republic to Curaçao, focusing on how migrants build their lives and on social cohesion.
Employment and economic security link those talks to the broader theme in Madrid: a just transition. At AICESIS, the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions, representatives from 27 countries discussed how the shift toward a more sustainable economy could go hand in hand with social protection. Spain’s Economic and Social Council hosted the meetings.
Dialogue among employers, workers and other civil society groups can help distribute the costs and opportunities of those changes fairly, SER said.
On October 30, the SER of Curaçao also took part as an observer in the annual meeting of RICESIS, the Ibero-American network of economic and social councils and similar institutions. Through the network, the council seeks to draw on experience from Latin America, Spain and Portugal to better inform its advice to Curaçao’s government and Parliament.
The Curaçao delegation comprised Raúl Henriquez, director and secretary-general; Miloushka Racamy, senior legal adviser; and Dr. Sabrina Dinmohamed, senior adviser. Ms. Racamy is also AICESIS’s deputy secretary-general for Latin America and the Caribbean.