HAZERSWOUDE-DORP--The Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations BZK and the Association of Dutch Municipalities VNG have come together to open the VNG Caribbean Desk for the Caribbean Netherlands, which will serve as a central point of contact for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The VNG Caribbean Desk will open on Monday, July 1, 2024, and is co-financed by BZK.
VNG Chairperson Sharon Dijksma and BZK Ministry Kingdom Relations Director-general Roald Lapperre announced the VNG Caribbean Desk during the annual VNG congress at a large plant nursery in HazersWoude-Dorp in the Netherlands on Tuesday, June 25.
With the launch of the Caribbean Desk, VNG wants to further contribute to increasing support to the public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. By offering a platform and advocating of interests, the Caribbean Desk can help strengthen policy, legislation and execution.
Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba are extraordinary members of the VNG, but due to their special status, they cannot make use of all services and products of the VNG in the Netherlands.
Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba indicated in meetings with the VNG and the various ministries that they would benefit from a larger access to the organisation’s services and support. Among other things, the VNG Caribbean Desk will aid Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in carrying out a number of execution and legislation assessments.
The VNG Caribbean Desk will be launched as a pilot project of 1.5 years. During this period, the involved parties, including the islands, will assess in which policy areas support of the VNG is most useful for the Caribbean Netherlands and how the project can be structurally secured and financed. Public entities Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (the BES islands), as well as countries Curaçao and Aruba, are members of VNG and can therefore make use of its services. But, until now, many of the products and services provided by the VNG were not always easily accessible to its Dutch Caribbean members.
