Ministry of

Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning

A sustainable way of life...

Curaao

I am certain that many of you present here today know or heard

of Curaao one-way or another, be it as a tourism destination,

through sports like Baseball and Tennis, a financial and shipping

platform or simply as one of the four countries comprising the

Kingdom of the Netherlands.

I am also certain that many of you who know about Curaao,

might not be aware all that Curaao is about. So, ladies and gen-

tlemen, please allow me to share with you some of the facts and

realities to hopefully give you an idea who we are and what we

stand for.

Curaao

The Honorable Mrs Susanne F.C. Camelia-Rmer

Minister of Traffic, Transportation and Urban Planning of Curaao

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Curaao, with its 444 square kilometers and

its 154 thousand inhabitants, is a dynamic is-

land in the southern part of the Caribbean

Sea, close to Venezuela and the rest of the

South America. There are over 60 nationali-

ties, of many different religious orientations,

together forming an active and rich history

of Curacao. This has made Curaao one of

the many interesting islands in the Caribbe-

an. The islands past is not only present in its

people of cosmopolitan descent, but is also

found in a variety of museums, forts, galler-

ies, country houses and our colorful capital

Willemstad - a UNESCO World Heritage Site

- at the entrance of the natural harbor of the

city. In the eighties, while most of the Carib-

bean countries were focusing on developing

the tourism sector, Curaao had a booming

economy focusing mainly on oil refinery and

international financial services.

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Since then, and due to multiple kingdom and international developments of the last decades,

those activities had to be substantially remodeled to meet todays global requirements. Today,

Curaao is in full compliance with OECD rules and regulations.

Environmental Challenges

Curaao, similar to many other Caribbean countries, is a Small Island Developing State that

is facing substantial challenges. The relatively young economy, the shifts in major economic

activities and the development of tourism have led to a whole new panorama of challenges

to the environment, affecting the sustainability of society as a whole. These environmental

challenges translate into amongst others: waste management, sewage treatment, air, water

and marine pollution and the list goes on. The top three sectors that contribute to Curaaos

emissions are the petrochemical sector, the energy sector as well as the transport sector. These

have contributed to industrial liquid waste and sewage discharge, agricultural runoff to sea,

increased chemical and toxic substances and oil waste.

In addition our country faces major consequences as a result of climate change. As such,

Curaao, similar to the rest of the Caribbean, is experiencing a worsening of extreme weather,

an increasing sea temperature and rising sea level. Curaao is suffering from a weakening

ecosystem, an unprecedented deterioration of our coral reefs, mangroves and a very visible

presence of sea grass.

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In this regard the Curaao Government is taking multiple actions to reshape and introduce

policies creating a framework to mitigate and adapt to the new reality. The effects of climate

change are increasing at such a pace that no country in the world can tackle them in a timely

fashion, and Curaao is no exception.

The Governments have been for many years and are focused on the following 4 areas:

Renewable Energy

Sustainable Water Management

Mangrove Protection and Restoration

Ocean Management and Coral Reef Protection

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Renewable Energy

As for renewable energy Curacao can serve as a best practice, having 32 years of experience

with wind power generation, by which we currently have an installed capacity of 30 MW, which

is being expanded to 45 MW by 2020. Curaa0 has 19 years of experience with solar power

generation and a current installed capacity of 15 MW, being expanded to 20 MW in the short

term and to 55 MW by 2020. This is equivalent to 40% of the yearly energy demand of the

island.

We have added more capacity for renewables in the last two years than at any time in the last

decade. Furthermore proactive steps are being taken in order to replace the processing of

crude oil by the refinery by liquefied natural gas as a more environmentally friendly fuel.

These deliberate investments in renewable energy are not just good for our environment, but

also for our business climate. As you might know, Caribbean islands generally have relatively

high electricity costs. Subsequently, the investment in renewable energy effects our competi-

tive position by lowering the cost of doing business.

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Sustainable Water Management

Sustainable Water Management is also a priority of the Government of Curaao, and is based

on an Integrated Water Resources Management System. Part of this is the recycling of 30%

of the waste water of the island. Curaao is engaged with Global Water Partnership, and are

planning concrete interventions in 2016, aimed at promoting the environmentally sustainable

use of water resources and an integration program that includes several areas of activities

including the agriculture and hospitality sector. Examples are rainwater harvesting, reuse of

waste water and watershed management.

Mangrove Protection and Restoration

Mangrove Protection and Restoration is also high on the Governments agenda. This form of

adaptation to the effects of climate change. In fact, for an Island, the surrounding buffer zone

plays an important role in the ecosystem. A healthy mangrove habitat will allow for coastal

protection, faster coral regeneration and healthier fish populations. Our actions include man-

aging, keeping clean and replanting mangroves in vulnerable areas.

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Ocean Management and Coral Reef Protection

Ocean Management and Coral Reef Protection is the fourth identified area of policy focus.

Curaao has some of the healthiest coral reef systems in the region with 68 species of coral,

representing 70% of Caribbean species. However due to pollution and overfishing, we have

experienced a loss of approximately 20% of our coral in the last 25 years.

In view of the alarming escalation of reef and coral destruction, Curaao is presently closely

collaborating with the Caribbean Research and Management of Biodiversity Foundation with

whom we started the exploration of the deep reefs around Curacao and documenting their

discoveries in major scientific journals.

In February of this year, the Government of Curaao signed an MOU with the Waitt Institute.

Waitt Institute is a US based private institution which endeavors to ensure ecologically, eco-

nomically, and culturally sustainable use of ocean resources. The Institute partners with gov-

ernments committed to developing and implementing comprehensive, science-based, com-

munity-driven solutions for sustainable ocean management. The MOU entails investigation

of the state of marine resources. This initiative, called Blue Halo Curacao, involves collecting

data on the state of fish, coral and other species to provide insight on what further ocean man-

agement policies might be needed to address the local context.

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Our local scientists, along with international ones have recently worked on a large-scale scien-

tific assessment, the results of which will be provided in early 2016.

These are some of the urgent challenges that Curaao is presently facing. The tremendous

efforts made thus far are nearly a drop in the bucket when we realize what Climate Change

could bring to us in the decades to come, if there is no unconditional collaborative effort by

all of us.

Let us not be fooled by geographical location of our nations, their size or by their demo-

graphic, the Climate Change suffering and the potential danger that will bring is equally felt,

though the impact might be different. Curaao, as small as it may seem is committed to play

an important role in this prestigious World effort, that is why I am honored to join you here

today in this beautiful city of Paris.

Let us never forget that the historic facts dictate that all the Caribbean Economies are very

young and have had multiple Social and Financial challenges in the past 3 decades. Those

challenges were at time and remain to be very difficult to overcome, especially, when there are

strict financial and budgetary disciplines to have balanced budgets, like the case of Curaao.

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Curaao is part of the wonderful and diverse archipelago of nations that we proudly call the

Caribbean. A group of nations that are committed to continue bringing to its people, and

visitors a sustainable way of life filled with Joy, happiness along with the multiple Social and

Economic opportunities.

I would like to finish with these words which are often forgotten when we are doing problem-

solving and implementing solutions:

TODAYS PROBLEMS WERE YESTERDAYS SOLUTIONS

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Ministry of

Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning