WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao is taking an important step toward strengthening good governance and legal protection for its citizens. At the initiative of the Committee on General Rules of Administrative Law, a draft version of the General National Ordinance on Administrative Law (Algemene landsverordening bestuursrecht – Alb) has been prepared. With the approval of Minister of Justice Shalten Hato, the draft has now been released for public online consultation.
The proposed General National Ordinance on Administrative Law will establish general rules governing the actions of administrative authorities. It implements Article 89, paragraph 2, of Curaçao's Constitution (Staatsregeling), which requires that general rules of administrative law be established by national ordinance.
The proposed legislation aims to promote a more consistent and transparent government, strengthen the legal protection of citizens, and provide a clear legal framework for administrative decision-making, oversight, enforcement and the delegation of governmental powers.
Because of the ordinance's importance to both citizens and government institutions, the draft is being made available for public consultation. Members of the public are invited to review the proposal and submit comments, suggestions or points of concern through an online consultation process.
The draft ordinance, its explanatory memorandum and information about the consultation process are available at:
https://gobiernu.cw/nl/internetconsultatie-alb
Comments may be submitted until September 1, 2026, via email at:
All responses received during the consultation period will be reviewed and taken into account as the draft legislation is further refined. Where appropriate, the proposal will be amended based on the public's feedback.
Once the consultation phase has been completed, the revised draft will follow Curaçao's standard legislative process. It will first be submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval. If approved, it will then be forwarded to the Council of Advice (Raad van Advies) for its opinion.
The Council of Advice's findings and recommendations will be incorporated into the final version before the draft is submitted to the Parliament of Curaçao (Staten) for debate and approval.
To improve accessibility, the government also plans to provide an official Papiamentu translation of the ordinance once it has been finalized.
On behalf of the Government of Curaçao, Minister Hato is inviting citizens, organizations and other stakeholders to participate in the public consultation and contribute to the further development of Curaçao's administrative law.
The minister also expressed his appreciation to the Committee on General Rules of Administrative Law and all experts who contributed to drafting the proposed legislation.