WILLEMSTAD - In the coming period (ie from March to August 2019), Curaçao will be able to count on the cooperation and support of the Netherlands regarding the societal challenges that the Government of Curaçao is currently experiencing, among other things as a result of the irregular migration from Venezuela.
This has been officially promised to the Government of Curaçao in a letter from the Undersecretary for the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Raymond Knops, to Prime Minister Rhuggenaath. This commitment is the first reaction to the request from the Government of Curaçao for technical assistance on the grounds of Article 36 of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
This is short-term support that will mainly be used in a phased way to achieve the intended results in a successful manner. Firstly, technical assistance will be provided in setting up, among other things, adequate procedures and processes within various parts of the foreigner policies. This could include training and education in the field of the protection procedure, identification and registration, reception and treatment of foreign nationals. In addition, the necessary financial capacity and material will be provided in the field of health care for vaccinations and diagnostics.
In a second phase, the parties will go deeper into the further optimization of the immigration chain, including the return process (return and deportation policy). Finally, it will be examined how extra support can be provided in the context of maritime border surveillance. The Netherlands also offered to act as facilitator during discussions between Curaçao and international aid organizations, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM), The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the Red Cross.
The details of the precise design of the cooperation and support will be further elaborated in a meeting between the two authorities.