THE HAGUE – A new Dutch government evaluation report has concluded that large parts of Kingdom policy toward Curaçao and the other Caribbean countries suffer from weak coordination, limited long-term effectiveness and persistent problems in financial management and institutional capacity.
The findings are contained in a letter sent by Dutch Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Pieter Heerma to the Dutch House of Representatives regarding the follow-up of policy evaluations within the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK).
Office of the Minister of Finance
One of the most striking conclusions concerns Article 4 of the Kingdom Relations budget, which finances projects and support programs in Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten and the BES islands. According to the evaluation, the policy lacks a clear overarching vision and often functions mainly as an emergency instrument to respond to crises rather than as part of a coherent long-term strategy.
Researchers concluded that many projects achieved short-term goals, but long-term societal effects often could not be demonstrated or were delayed due to limited execution capacity, political instability and administrative changes within the Caribbean countries.
The report also states that the Dutch government lacks a comprehensive Kingdom-wide future vision for the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, making it difficult to coordinate policies across Dutch ministries.
Among the recommendations are the development of a specific Kingdom Relations vision, stronger interdepartmental coordination and even the possible introduction of a more mandatory consultation obligation for Dutch ministries when dealing with Caribbean affairs.
The report further recommends placing part of the Dutch policy capacity physically in the Caribbean region to improve cooperation and implementation.