During the period July 12-20, 2022, the Liaison Officer for UNFPA Suriname, Ms. Judith Brielle, along with GBV Subsector Coordinator, Ms. Titian-Rose Whittle, and Gender Consultant of the Ministry of Gender Curacao, Ms. Jackie Martis embarked on a long-awaited mission to Curacao and Aruba. The ability to travel and finally meet with partners within the Dutch Caribbean was welcomed by NGO stakeholders and government partners alike. 

The objective of the mission was twofold: solidify UNFPAs commitment to support the needs of the most vulnerable women and girls and the most -at-risk persons in Aruba and Curaçao and to build the capacity of service providers in the thematic areas of gender-based violence in emergencies (GBVIE), the Minimum Initial Service Package (Basic MISP) and PSEA. In total, the workshops brought together 60 emergency first responders from the legal and justice departments, gender units, social services, and refugee protection UN organizations. Throughout the course of these workshops, facilitators drew upon the critical context of the impending weather system, tropical storm Bonnie. Participants were encouraged to reflect upon their emergency preparedness and response had the impending weather system hit the islands. Having Bonnie as an almost ‘real’ case study anchored the critical teachings of the workshops.  
 

Sharing the Stage: A New Approach to Capacity Building Workshops

Recognizing the importance of building strategic partnerships,  the UNFPA team adapted sessions to ensure a  more inclusive approach. At the workshop in Curacao, members of the Red Cross and HIV NGO CuraPlus were allowed a 15-minute session to share their experience working in the shelters and their emergency response mechanisms. The same opportunity was offered in Aruba, and members of UNHCR and CDEM, the government emergency response agency shared the stage and took participants through their procedures, challenges, and successes. This plenary session allowed for the sharing of key experiences, and offered participants safe spaces to reflect on their systems, identify gaps, and define a way forward. 

Creating New Opportunities

In our visit to Curacao, the UNFPA team had the pleasure of visiting Nos Sentro, Our Centre, the headquarters of several NGOs providing services to youth, and members of the refugee and migrant community in Curacao. This is where we were introduced to the work of CuraPlus an NGO committed to providing MHPSS and SRH services to the most vulnerable survivors living wtih HIV, members of the sex work population, CuraPlus. From this visit and further assessments, CuraPlus has been selected to receive a small grant of PRM funding to deliver lifesaving SRH and GBV awareness-raising information to Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Curacao. 

Team UNFPA views this mission as a success and envisions the start of a more coordinated approach to the provision of services for survivors of gender-based violence within Aruba and Curacao.