THE HAGUE – The West Wing, the youth think tank of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has launched a research project in collaboration with the Advisory Council on International Affairs to examine how Caribbean youth experience current Kingdom policy and how their perspectives can be structurally integrated into policymaking.
According to the initiators, the input of young people from the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom is essential to ensure the research accurately reflects realities on the ground. They emphasize that local expertise and the voices of Caribbean youth are indispensable for producing representative and meaningful conclusions.
The study is being conducted against the backdrop of an increasingly complex regional environment for the Caribbean countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Geopolitical tensions, migration dynamics and climate-related risks are reinforcing one another, with direct implications for the Kingdom’s foreign and security policy. While decision-making in these areas takes place at the Kingdom level, the practical consequences are felt primarily in the Caribbean countries themselves. Young people, who make up a significant share of the population, are expected to bear the long-term effects of these policy choices.
In this context, The West Wing, as the official youth think tank of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is seeking to better understand how Caribbean youth perceive current Kingdom policy and how their views can be more effectively embedded in policy development. The project underscores the importance of aligning foreign policy with the lived realities of the communities it affects, combining institutional expertise with local experiential knowledge.
Although several platforms exist where young people from the Caribbean countries and territories can make their voices heard, such as youth parliaments, regional youth networks and international forums, the researchers note that these initiatives often have limited contact with policymakers in The Hague. Many also lack structural funding and operate largely in isolation, resulting in the absence of an overarching framework through which the perspectives of Caribbean youth, including those who have migrated to the Netherlands, are consistently incorporated into Kingdom-level discussions.
The research is being carried out by a team of eleven young researchers based in European Netherlands. Acknowledging their limited direct connection to the Caribbean countries, the team is explicitly calling on Caribbean youth, civil society actors and experts with ties to the region to contribute to the study. Through interviews, the researchers aim to gather a wide range of perspectives and experiences related to the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
Those interested in participating or sharing their insights are invited to contact Mark Broekman via mark.broekman@outlook.com or reach out to The West Wing directly at tracks@thewestwing.nl.