Curaçao; Your Partner in The Southern Caribbean

CURAÇAO

YOUR PARTNER IN THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN

FOREWORD Dear Reader, The island of Curaรงao gained its autonomous status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010. Since then, we have strived to create a name for our island, building bridges with countries both in the region and farther away, and working towards developing a sustainable economy to support ongoing socioeconomic progress.

As Prime Minister, and more importantly, as a citizen of Curaรงao, I have always been proud of the island that I call home. Our beautiful beaches and reefs, the natural deep water harbor, and the colorful city center, Willemstad, are the manifestation of our cultural wealth and history.

Curaรงao is a place where so many cultures melt together to create something different.The local language, Papiamentu, remains our treasure, and serves as a reminder of our history, tainted with struggle and lined with success. With essentially 360 days of sunshine, crystal clear waters, untouched coral reefs, and a warm population, the island is a home away from home for anyone who visits.

At the heart of every successful country lies a healthy economy, and Curaรงao utilizes its practical location and dynamic history to foster the various sectors that continue to make the island a leader in the region.

This booklet aims to give you a better idea of the island that I call home, and all that we have to offer. It is a story of our successes and our goals, and will give you insight into our culture, traditions and our long-term vision. We hope to welcome you to Curaรงao very soon!

Warm Regards from the sunny Caribbean, Prime Minister Bernard Whiteman

Curaçao is situated in the Southern Caribbean Sea, between the Americas. It is located well away from the paths of the seasonal hurricanes, and is blessed with deep waters and well-protected inland harbor. Most of the approximately 150,000 residents live in the area surrounding its major port, Willemstad.

Curaçao has always been a hub for trade, logistics and industry. As such, Curaçao developed into a society with cultural, social and economic influences from around the world. The multi-cultural aspect of the island is further manifested in the use of language. There are three official languages in Curaçao: (1) Papiamentu – a local language that is a mix of Portuguese, Dutch, Spanish and English, (2) Dutch, and (3) English. Spanish is also widely spoken on the island.

ABOUT CURAÇAO

Because of the large number of immigrants in Curaçao, different population segments also speak Portuguese, French and German, among others.

Until October 2010, Curaçao was part of the Netherlands Antilles, a Dutch island federation. Following a referendum, and as a result of constitutional change, the federation was dismantled and Curaçao became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Curaçao is a stable parliamentary democracy with a reliable legal system, based primarily on the Dutch law. The independent legal structure, with a Common Court of Justice for Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba, has its final court of appeal in The Hague.

A HIGH STANDARD OF LIVING Curaçao ranks 28th in the world for nominal gross domestic product per capita, and is therefore one of the wealthiest islands in the Caribbean.

Additionally, the life expectancy rate is among the highest in the region, at approximately 80 for women and 72 for men.

With hospital renovations underway, Curaçao will soon open the doors to a modernized health facility, providing better support to the island’s already highly qualified health specialists.

The island’s infrastructure allows for traffic to flow smoothly, and while public transportation is available, people often opt to drive their own vehicles, making it easy to get from one place to another.

From scuba diving to fine dining, the island is equipped to cater to all kinds of visitors and residents. With an array of public and private beaches, a new indoor shopping mall, and a historic city center, the choices of how to spend your day are endless.

A NATURAL CENTER FO

Curaçao’s economy is diversified and open. Trade and shipping, logistics and dry dock services, international financial services, oil refining, and tourism are the most vital pillars of the local economy.

Curaçao has preferential access to both the US and EU markets through the US Caribbean Basin Initiative and the European Union-Overseas Countries and Territories Agreement, respectively.

Curaçao has also concluded a Tax Information Exchange Agreement with the US Government, and is an early adopter of the IRS Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. The Government welcomes foreign investment and provides a range of incentives aimed at developing the island. Foreigners who choose to invest in Curacao are granted a special residence permit, so that they can set up their business. Companies operating in certain sectors may qualify for various benefits and exemptions. Attractive tax incentives are also available for manufacturing companies that operate

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OR BUSINESS & TRADE

in export-oriented industries. Curaรงao also has various duty-free economic zones.

The financial services industry in Curaรงao has recently come to the forefront of the financial world again, as the STEP conference was hosted here in early 2015. Curaรงao is a mid-shore country: one which fulfills necessary requirements to ensure international compliance, and allows investors to be certain that their capital is safe and protected.

Curaรงao also operates as a regional hub and center for trade. Its natural deep and wide harbors and its location outside the hurricane belt have allowed it to become an ideal trading port. Aside from the two well-equipped natural harbors, the island is equipped with a recently renovated and expanding airport (1.6 million passenger capacity), a highly developed telecommuncation infrastructure for both landlines and cellular services, and the 54th fastest broadband Internet connection in the world (the 3rd fastest in the Caribbean).

INVESTING IN OUR YOUTH

Because the Government of Curaรงao firmly believes in investing in future generations, the Government wrote and validated a National Action Plan for Youth Development. The Action Plan is a unique initiative because it requires cross-sectoral and interministerial collaboration to ensure implementation.

The Action Plan identifies five main areas for youth development: education and childcare, health and wellbeing, work and entrepreneurship, housing and living environment, and safety and security. It sets concrete objectives, utilizing evidence and fostering a result-based approach.

The Plan also set up the National Platform for Youth Development, made up of actors from the Private Sector, Civil Society and Government, to oversee the implementation and ensure accountability.

In order to ensure support for the Plan, The Goverment of Curaรงao allocated resources towards a participative and democratic validation process, consisting of: (1) Expert Sessions: to foster conversations with professionals in the different areas and get a clearer picture of the situation.

(2) Youth Dialogues: to encourage stakeholders to include the youth in creating their futures.

(3) Participative Donor Sessions: to ensure that those who could provide the funds agree with the Plan.

This validation process broadened the credibility and support for the Programme, across sectors, ensuring that the Platform can actually be held accountable for execution of the Action Programme.

Currently, roughly 25% of all energy consumed in Curaçao comes from renewable sources, and reliance on renewable sources is projected to further increase in the coming years.

One of the main objectives of the local utility company is to lower the environmental impact of its operations and to be less dependent of crude oil.

Curaçao currently is a leader in the wind energy industry. The island’s landscape and geographic position have allowed Curaçao to invest in wind turbines.

The Government also gives small businesses and inhabitants with solar power systems, the opportunity to offset the electricity costs by selling excess power back to the local utility company.

Additionally, the Government of Curaçao is working with the United Nations Development Programme to produce a National Development Plan, based on the Post-2015 development framework.

The plan is the culmination of existing plans, and consists of five development policy areas: national identity, education, economy, good governance, and sustainable development.

The Plan combines short-term actions, with long-term vision, keeping the SDGs in mind, setting benchmarks that are relevant for development in Curaçao but comparable on a global scale.

PAVING THE WAY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

PROTECTING OUR OCEANS

The waters surrounding our island are our most prized possession: they are not only a source of life, home to nearly 8 kilometers squared of fringing reef and over 400 species of flora and fauna; but they are also our source of livelihood, both in terms of potable water and nutritious food.

The Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity Foundation (Carmabi), the local research foundation was founded in 1955 and is responsible for the protection and research of eight protected areas in Curaรงao.

Recently, the Government of Curaรงao signed a memorandum of understanding with the Waitt Institute, an organization that assists committed governments and scientists to develop ocean zoning and fishery management policies to best protect their waters.

In addition, Curaรงao is also working with the Smithsonian Institute, on the Deep Reef Observation Project, using a state of the art submersible to discover the ecosystems on the ocean floors.

The ocean is and will continue to be the heart of our island, and it is for this reason that the Government focuses on protecting our environment even when attracting tourists. We look forward to continuing to invite tourists who not only appreciate the beauty of the reefs, but who also help in eliminating alien species, such as lion fish from our waters, and treat our reefs with care.

For more information: Directorate of Foreign Relations Curaรงao, Fort Amsterdam 4, Telephone: +5999 461 3933