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The Foundation for Legal Aid and Equal Treatment in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba SRGB was established in October 2025 to provide free, independent legal assistance and support for residents experiencing discrimination in the Caribbean Netherlands. The foundation was established on the initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security and the Dutch Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations, which also provide its funding. It operates under the name Lokèt Hurídiko in Bonaire and Legal Desk in Saba and St. Eustatius, building on an earlier Legal Desk pilot programme on the latter two islands.   Suhendra Leon – who is a former lawyer and substitute judge in St. Maarten – was appointed director of the foundation in October 2025. In the following interview, the foundation’s director discusses the challenges of establishing the service, the types of legal assistance available to residents, safeguards for confidentiality and the plans for a permanent presence on both islands. Q. Could you explain what the foundation does and what kinds of legal problems residents of Saba and St. Eustatius can approach the Legal Desk for assistance with? A. SRHB was established to provide free, independent first-line legal assistance and support for people experiencing discrimination in the Caribbean Netherlands. Residents can approach us with a wide range of legal questions, including employment disputes, tenancy issues, family law matters, consumer problems and difficulties involving government institutions. Our services are intended for individuals. We do not handle commercial matters or provide legal advice to businesses or organisations. Our role is to help people understand their legal position, explain their rights and obligations, and assist them in identifying possible solutions. Not everyone can afford a lawyer, and many people do not know where to turn when they encounter a legal problem. We want to make legal assistance more accessible. Q. How does the assistance work in practice? For example, if someone approaches the Legal Desk with a dispute involving an employer or landlord, what kind of support can they expect to receive, and where does the foundation’s involvement end? A. When someone approaches us, we first try to understand the problem and what the person wants to achieve. We examine the relevant circumstances and documents, explain their legal position and discuss the options available. For example, someone who has been dismissed from their job may not know whether the dismissal was lawful or what steps they can take. We can explain their rights, identify relevant deadlines and help them determine how to proceed. In a tenancy dispute, we might examine the rental agreement, explain the rights and obligations of both parties, and advise the client about possible solutions. Depending on the circumstances, our assistance may also include helping someone draft a letter or formulate a response. There are, however, clear boundaries to our services. We provide first-line legal assistance and do not offer legal representation. We do not act as someone’s lawyer, represent clients in negotiations or court proceedings, or take over their cases. Q. The foundation also assists residents who experience discrimination. What assistance can someone expect when filing a discrimination complaint, and what happens after that complaint has been made? A. Discrimination is a separate and important part of our mandate. Residents who believe they have experienced discrimination can contact us, even if they are unsure whether what happened legally qualifies as discrimination. The assistance we provide depends on the circumstances and what the person wants to achieve. Sometimes someone simply wants to report an incident. We can register that report for statistical purposes, even if the person does not wish to take further action. These registrations are important because they help us identify patterns and gain a better understanding of discrimination in the Caribbean Netherlands. Other people want assistance in addressing what happened. We can examine the complaint, explain the applicable legislation and advise on possible steps. Unlike our general first-line legal assistance, our discrimination services can also include representing and assisting complainants in addressing their complaints. Depending on the circumstances, we may contact the other party to obtain their response, facilitate discussions in which both sides have an opportunity to explain their positions, and explore possible solutions. This process can sometimes help resolve a complaint without the need for formal proceedings. Where appropriate, we can also assist clients in bringing a case before the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights and represent them during those proceedings. Filing a discrimination complaint with us does not automatically mean that formal action will follow. We discuss the available options with the person concerned and determine together what steps they wish to take. We do not approach the other party or initiate proceedings without discussing this with the client. Q. The Legal Desk previously operated as a pilot project on Saba and St. Eustatius. What have you learnt from that experience, and have you identified particular legal issues that residents on these two islands frequently encounter? A. Land ownership and inheritance matters were among the legal issues residents approached the pilot Legal Desk about. These can be complex matters, particularly when property has been passed down through generations or several family members have rights or interests in the same property. The pilot also demonstrated the importance of making legal assistance accessible locally. We are building on the work done during the pilot while developing our own services. By systematically registering the types of legal questions we receive, we hope to gain a better understanding of recurring issues on both islands and identify subjects on which additional public information or legal education may be useful. Q. The opening of permanent offices in Saba and St. Eustatius was postponed because of difficulties recruiting suitable candidates. Could you explain what challenges the foundation encountered during recruitment and how these have affected the introduction of services? A. Recruitment is a challenge for many organisations operating on small islands, particularly when looking for specialised professionals. There is a relatively small pool of residents with a law degree, and recruiting someone from outside […]

The swarm is gathering again. The Bizzy B 5K takes place on Saturday 7 November, starting at 7:00 at the SEC parking lot in The Bottom. Run it or walk it: the swarm does not care, as long as you keep moving. The details What: 5K, 2.5K, or the 800 meter kids run for primary school kids When: Saturday 7 November, 7:00 Where: The Bottom, with start and finish at the SEC parking lot Entry fees Entry is $10 for adults and $5 for kids under 15. The kids run costs $5. For primary school kids, Child Focus pays one entry, either the kids run or the 2.5K. You pay when you pick up your number at Colibri Café on Friday 6 November, between 16:00 and 18:00. Sign up here If you have taken part in one of our events before, you know the drill: sign up now, worry about the hill later. Volunteers wanted Not up for running this time? We are still looking for volunteers for that morning, from about 5:45 to 9:30. Help is needed with check-in, timing, along the course and at the finish. Volunteers get food and drinks from Bizzy B afterwards. To join the team, reply to the event email. Also coming up Alto de Pacho, 21 November: Saba’s short and steep bike time trial from Cove Bay up to Zion’s Hill. Sea to Scenery, 5 December: run or walk from the sea at Cove Bay to the top of Mount Scenery. Hope to see you at the start! Sporty greetings, Jochem, Event66

Students from Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba who study in the European Netherlands can now get extra guidance in their second year. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) has launched a pilot program that began this academic year. The ministry is funding the pilot, and the organization TuranGoeloe is running it. TuranGoeloe already supports first-year students from the islands. Research agency ResearchNed will monitor and evaluate the program, which runs until August 1, 2028. Its findings will help the ministry decide whether to offer lasting support to second-year students from the Caribbean Netherlands. The program is open to students in MBO, HBO and WO programs who are starting their second year in the Netherlands. TuranGoeloe holds a weekly walk-in consultation hour, available online or at its office. It also organizes “Peer-to-Peer Vibes” meetings, where students from the Caribbean Netherlands can share experiences and swap tips. Professionals who work with these students can also use the consultation hour to discuss questions or situations they come across while supporting them. The pilot grew out of an earlier study on support for first-year students, in which participants said they still needed help after their first year. The ministry now wants to learn what second-year students need, what support schools and municipalities already provide, and whether additional help is necessary. Dossier Koninkrijksrelaties

Employees on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (so-called BES islands) who lose their jobs through no fault of their own will be able to submit an application for unemployment benefit under the Temporary Unemployment Benefit Regulation BES from January 1, 2027 onwards. The benefit can be claimed for a maximum of three months. The proposal entered a consultation phase in the spring, offering an op­portunity for stakehold­ers and the public to give their views and feedback. Although the plan is to in­troduce a permanent un­employment benefit law, it takes time to draft such. That is why the temporary regulation is being intro­duced, so that people do not have to wait for unem­ployment benefits for any longer than necessary. The experience gained will be used when drafting the per­manent law. The unit for Social Affairs and Employment SZW is organising public informa­tion sessions to explain the new benefit in more detail and to answer questions about the regulation. The sessions are scheduled to take place in October on St. Eustatius and Saba, and in November on Bonaire. During the sessions, an explanation will be given about who might be eligible under the regulation and what you should do if you become unemployed. The sessions are taking place in : Saba, on Monday, Oc­tober 26 in the Eugenius Johnson Center from 10.00am to 12.00pm in English and from 4:00pm to 5.30pm in Spanish. St. Eustatius, on Wednes­day, October 28 at the Elma building from 5:00pm to 6:30pm in English and from 7:00pm to 8:30pm in Spanish. More information about the Temporary Unemploy­ment Benefit Regulation BES can be found on our website. People can also contact the SZW office by phone on +599 418 3804 (Saba), by phone and What­sApp +599 790 0052 on St. Eustatius or by phone and WhatsApp +599 7951106 on Bonaire. The Daily Herald.

The Grade 6 students from Sacred Heart Primary School swapped their classroom for a construction site. Together with their teacher, Tishaan Abbott-Smith, they visited the Black Rocks Harbor project site for a behind-the-scenes look at one of Saba’s most exciting developments. A warm welcome and a big introduction The class was welcomed by Peter Biemond, project manager for Public Entity Saba, who gave the students an introduction to the project. They learned about: The history of the project and how it all began The planning and the different stages of construction The designs and preparations behind the harbor Coral rehabilitation efforts to protect Saba’s marine life The future users of the harbor Seeing the work in action The best part of any field trip is seeing things for real. The students watched operations underway at the site and got a close-up view of how a harbor takes shape. The big stars: 34-ton X-blocs Nothing impressed the students quite like the massive X-blocs. Each one weighs a whopping 34 tons! These giant concrete structures help build a harbor that can withstand hurricanes and stand strong for generations to come. Learning that lasts Field trips like this show young Sabans how they are building the island’s future, right in their own backyard. Who knows? Maybe one of these Grade 6 students will be the project manager of a future harbor someday! A big thank you to Peter Biemond and the project team for taking the time to inspire the next generation, and to Mr. Abbott-Smith and the students of Sacred Heart Primary School for their curiosity and enthusiasm. PES

The Dutch government’s planned thirty­million-euro annual invest­ment in the livelihoods of residents of Bonaire, St. Eu­statius and Saba came under scrutiny during a “Tweede Kamer” (Second Chamber) debate on the Caribbean Netherlands. The 30 million euros is in­tended to strengthen liveli­hoods and implement rec­ommendations concerning the social minimum. Sev­eral Members of Parliament (MPs) welcomed the ad­ditional funding but ques­tioned how it will be spent and whether it will be suffi­cient. PRO MP Mikal Tseggai said the investment was needed but criticised plans to use part of the funding for infra­structure such as drinking-water lines and fibre-optic networks. She pointed to plans to spend eight million euros on Bonaire to replace the seawater intake essential to drinking-water production, 1.7 million euros on replac­ing leaking water lines on St. Eustatius and 2.1 million eu­ros on the island’s fibre-optic network. Tseggai argued that infra­structure investments should be funded through the bud­gets of the ministries re­sponsible for those services rather than money intended to improve livelihoods. She said the government should instead use the money to ad­dress recommendations con­cerning the social minimum, reduce the cost of living and strengthen social security. D66 MP Heera Dijk took a different view, arguing that infrastructure such as fibre-optic connections can directly contribute to liveli­hoods by improving access to education and strength­ening the islands’ earning capacity. CDA MP Tijs van den Brink also said he was satisfied with the planned use of the 30 million euros, including in­vestments in energy, water and telecommunications in­frastructure. The debate took place ahead of the 16th anniver­sary of the constitutional changes of October 10, 2010, which established the current constitutional status of the Caribbean Netherlands. The Daily Herald.

Food security and local food production were raised as part of discussions on improving liveli­hoods in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The VVD, which is a conservative-liberal party, VVD MP Den Hollander said that investments in water man­agement, available agricultural land, refrigerated storage and logistics, financing and training could strengthen lo­cal production of fresh and healthy food. She said this could contribute to economic diversifica­tion, livelihood security and health and asked what con­crete results the government expects from its efforts. MP Den Hollander also asked how the ministries re­sponsible for Kingdom Relations, agriculture and health will work together on food security. The issue was raised in the context of concerns about the islands’ dependence on imported goods and their vulnerability when essential supplies are disrupted. MP Den Hollander also linked food security to wider efforts to strengthen the islands’ resilience and self-reli­ance. The VVD has separately proposed a 200,000-euro one-time allocation in 2027 for resilience measures in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. The Daily Herald.

The ques­tion of whether residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba are treated equally to residents of the European Netherlands was a central theme during a Tweede Kam­er (House of Representatives) debate on the Canbbean part of the Kingdom. Member of Parliament (MP) Mikal Tseggai of the PRO party, a merger of the Groen­Links and PvdA parties, said that 16 years after the con­stitutional changes of Octo­ber 10, 2010, there remains a fundamental difference in livelihood security between the Caribbean and European Netherlands. She argued that differences in geography, scale and circumstances do not justify structural differenc­es in access to basic services. The D66 party has strong views on education and eco­nomic sustainability. D66 MP Heera Dijk said the Nether­lands has a signalling and co­ordinating role in Caribbean affairs and acknowledged that the government does not control every relevant budget. She said the question of live­lihood security involves both increasing income and reduc­ing costs and argued that the latter requires closer coopera­tion with the islands. The CDA, a Christian democratic party, is in coali­lion with D66 and the VVD. CDA MP Tijs van den Brink said residents of the Carib­bean Netherlands are being treated increasingly equally but acknowledged that the differences between the is­lands and the European Netherlands make full equal­ity difficult. The debate also touched on representation, infrastruc­ture, climate protection, ac­cess to services and the in­volvement of island govern­ments in decisions made in The Hague. The MPs were due to hear State Secretary Eric van der Burg’s response in the second round of the debate. The Daily Herald.

Representatives from the Caribbean pub­lic entities of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES) and the five Wadden Is­lands Texel, Vlieland, Ter­schelling, Ameland and Schiermonnikoog gathered on Texel on October 1 and 2 for a two-day work pro­gramme. These eight islands are united in the so-called E8 partnership. E8 serves as the collective voice of the Dutch island communi­ties in dealings with gov­ernment and the political establishment. The group also meets regularly to exchange knowledge and work on shared issues. The programme began at the TESO ferry terminal in Den Helder, where officials were met by King’s Com­missioner for North Hol­land Arthur van Dijk, be­fore travelling to Texel. On arrival, the delegation was welcomed by Texel Mayor Mark Pol. The first day included a presentation and a visit to “De Zoete Toekomst” (The Sweet Future), an innova­tive approach to freshwater storage for agriculture on Texel. Participants learned about the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainable freshwater management for islands. The programme contin­ued with a thematic ses­sion on integrity and good island governance, led by Van Dijk. Representatives from the Wadden and Ca­ribbean islands exchanged experiences regarding ad­ministrative resilience, sub­versive crime, transparent and reliable elections, and the governance of founda­tions and semi-public or­ganisations. During the session Joc­elyn Levenstone, Island Governor of Saba, also gave a presentation on the upcoming 2027 elections and the use of proxy voting, followed by an exchange of experiences and viewpoints among the participants. John Soliano, Island Gov­ernor of Bonaire, gave a presentation on good gov­ernance within public and semi-public organisations. He addressed the complex environment in which these organisations operate, the role of the government as a shareholder, and the various roles and responsi­bilities within these organ­isations. The presentation highlighted how good gov­ernance can support organ­isations in achieving their objectives. On October 2, the pro­gramme continued with an excursion to De Slufter, organised in collaboration with the Texel Bird Infor­mation Centre and Staats­bosbeheer (State Forestry Service). The excursion covered Texel’s approach to nature management and the protection of vulner­able coastal areas. This was followed by an E8 working meeting, intro­duced by Michiel Schrier, Mayor of Vlieland and Chair of the E8. Represen­tatives from the Wadden and Caribbean islands re­flected on the partnership and discussed the substan­tive topics on which the E8 will collaborate in the com­ing year. Subsequently, the E8 welcomed members of the Dutch House of Represen­tatives, including members of the Standing Commit­tees on Infrastructure and Water Management and on Kingdom Relations. In her address, Statia Is­land Governor Alida Fran­cis outlined three key pri­orities that emerged from the E8 discussions: equal investment, stronger local implementation capacity, and increased climate ac­tion. She emphasised that equal treatment should not mean the uniform applica­tion of mainland policies to the islands; rather, fair outcomes must be achieved that take into account their unique size, logistical reali­ties and cost structures. Francis also highlighted challenges facing small is­land administrations — such as limited staffing and ac­cess to specialised expertise — and stressed the need to strengthen their capacity to implement policies effec­tively. Regarding climate resilience, she called for greater focus on implemen­tation, underscoring the need to look beyond strat­egies and “turn paper into practice”. To reinforce these shared priorities, Pol and Francis presented Member of Par­liament Heera Dijk with a board displaying the E8’s three key messages. She accepted the joint message on behalf of the delega­tion, along with colleagues Marieke Vellinga-Beem­sterboer, Luciënne Boels­ma-Hoekstra and Bjorn Schutz, thereby formally presenting the E8’s shared priorities to the House of Representatives. Schiermonnikoog Mayor Henri Meendering then ad­dressed the topic of water safety, including the role of natural systems — such as salt marshes — in coastal protection. The discus­sions also touched on the connection between the functions of coral reefs in the Caribbean and coastal protection measures on the Wadden Islands. The two-day programme concluded with a visit to De Schorren, led by nature con­servation organisation Natu­urmonumenten, after which the participants left Texel to travel back to Den Helder. The Daily Herald.

A floating silt curtain is being added at the Black Rocks Harbor construction site on Saba to stop fine sediment from spreading into surrounding wa­ters as work on the new harbour continues. According to project manager Peter Bieremond of Public Entity Saba, the project’s environmental impact was studied before con­struction began, and various mea­sures have been implemented to limit and compensate for that im­pact. Turbidity caused by excava­tion and breakwater construction is being followed closely and has mainly been contained within the project area, he said. Supervising engineer Luc Jor­dens of Dutch engineering com­pany Witteveen +Bos said silt­ation — fine soil particles — has been observed flowing out of the project area. “Though visible, the levels are low and kept within permissible limits,” he said. Turbidity is being kept to a minimum through adjusted work methods and the construction of temporary bunds. It is monitored daily by a fixed monitoring buoy, as well as by manual measure­ments taken twice a day at three different locations. If permitted levels are exceeded, work is sus­pended. Further restrictions apply during coral spawning season, including suspension of works, lower allow­able turbidity levels and more fre­quent measurements. As part of the project’s environ­mental measures, approximately 1,400 corals were relocated from the project area to an area near Hole in the Corner. The corals are being monitored regu­larly, and their survival rate has so far been very high. Other compensation mea­sures include the addition of three marine protected areas to the Saba National Marine Park. Public En­tity Saba has also allocated funds to Saba Conserva­tion Foundation (SCF) and Saba Research Center to further protect marine life. With work continuing and landside excavations sched­uled for the coming months, Bieremond said higher levels of turbidity may be expected. The silt curtain is being installed as an additional measure to further reduce the amount of fine material flowing into the surrounding waters. The yellow curtain will form a floating barrier around the work site. It is made of per­meable fabric, measures 220 metres long and 10 metres high, and has been custom­ised to the project’s specifi­cations. The buoys that will anchor the curtain have already been installed. The curtain has been prepared on land and will be towed into the water. The Daily Herald.