Minister Plenipotentiary, Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell, recently welcomed her Aruban counterpart, Drs. Mildred Schwengle, for an introductory meeting at the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague. The meeting took place on Monday March 23. Schwengle was recently appointed as Minister Plenipotentiary of Aruba in the Netherlands and was sworn in on 4 March 2026. Over the course of her career, she has held various senior positions, including serving as a member of the Council of State of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 2017 to 2023, where she advised on legislation and Kingdom affairs. During the meeting, [...]

On Monday, 23 March, Minister Plenipotentiary, Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell, met with Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary of Curaçao, Mr. Errold Bishop, accompanied by the Secretary-General of General Affairs of Curaçao, Mr. Djurick Comenentia. Mr. Bishop was recently sworn in as Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary of Curaçao in the Netherlands. In this capacity, he represents Curaçao in The Hague, including in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom when required, and maintains relations with Dutch ministries and institutions. He brings extensive experience in both the public and socio-political domain. In addition, he has been politically active and previously served as a policy [...]

Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita Arrindell, recently received Dr. Eduard Braam, Special Envoy to the European Union (EU) for Curaçao, for a courtesy visit at the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary in the Hague. During the meeting, Dr. Braam shared an overview of his mandate, which began on 24 September 2025, and outlined his efforts to identify European funding opportunities and programmes that could benefit Curaçao. The discussion also touched on areas of mutual interest for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom in their engagement with European partners. Topics included opportunities for collaboration with European institutions and foundations working on climate and sustainability initiatives, as [...]

Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell recently welcomed the Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI), Patrice T. Gumbs at the Cabinet, during his working visit to the Netherlands. The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary and the Ministry of VROMI. Key topics included opportunities for collaboration in the areas of biodiversity, waste management, and the ongoing challenges related to sargassum (seaweed), all of which are critical to the sustainable development of Sint Maarten. The discussion also explored how the Cabinet can help connect the Ministry with relevant partners and [...]

Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell participated on Wednesday March 11 in a Ministerial Round Table on “Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all older women” during the seventieth session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at UN Headquarters in New York. The discussion formed part of the Commission’s priority theme for 2026: “Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices, and addressing structural barriers.” Speaking as part of the delegation of the Kingdom of the [...]