\u00a0<\/h2>\nAt a regional meeting in Montevideo, the Social and Economic Council of Cura\u00e7ao emphasized the need to connect education, labor policy and social cohesion<\/span><\/i><\/h2>\n <\/p>\n
Willemstad\/Montevideo, May 26, 2026 \u2014 In a region where artificial intelligence, migration and inequality are rapidly reshaping the world of work, Cura\u00e7ao faces a pressing policy question: how to ensure that young people, women and workers are not left behind.<\/p>\n
That question was at the center of the participation of the Social and Economic Council of Cura\u00e7ao, the SER, in an international meeting of economic and social councils and institutions for social dialogue, held from May 19 to 21, 2026, at the Centro de Formaci\u00f3n de la Cooperaci\u00f3n Espa\u00f1ola in Montevideo, Uruguay. The SER was represented by Raul Henriquez, director and secretary-general, and Miloushka Sboui-Racamy, senior adviser for international affairs.<\/p>\n
The meeting brought together social dialogue institutions from Spain, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Portugal, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama and Cura\u00e7ao. Discussions focused on democratic governance, migration, discrimination, inequality, women\u2019s access to opportunity, education and the social consequences of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
The meeting was officially opened by Juan Castillo, Uruguay\u2019s minister of labor and social security. His presence underscored a central message of the gathering: social dialogue is not merely a formal consultative mechanism, but a tool for making societies more resilient in a period of rapid social, technological and economic change.<\/p>\n
During the meeting of CESISALC, the regional network of economic and social councils and similar institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean, the SER contributed to two themes directly relevant to Cura\u00e7ao\u2019s policy agenda: women\u2019s access to development opportunities and the future of education in the age of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
According to the SER, these issues converge in one central task: building a stronger connection between education, skills, the labor market and social mobility. Formal equality is necessary, but not sufficient. Real opportunities for women require access to education, work, entrepreneurship, leadership and decision-making. Education, vocational training and lifelong learning are therefore not secondary policy concerns; they are conditions for economic independence and meaningful participation in society.<\/p>\n
Artificial intelligence, the SER emphasized, should not be treated as a purely technological development. For a small, open and multilingual economy like Cura\u00e7ao, AI is above all a policy question. The way schools, employers, workers and government respond to digital transformation will help determine whether new technologies expand opportunity or deepen existing labor-market divides.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Cura\u00e7ao, the central question is not whether artificial intelligence will change the labor market, but whether our education and labor-market policies will adapt quickly enough to include young people, women and workers<\/p>\n
in that transition,\u201d said Henriquez. \u201cInstitutionalized social dialogue is not an administrative formality. It is a necessary instrument for making policy workable, balanced and broadly supported.\u201d<\/p>\n
The urgency for Cura\u00e7ao is concrete. According to the most recent figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) of Cura\u00e7ao, the general unemployment rate fell from 13.1 percent in 2022 to 7.8 percent in 2024. Youth unemployment declined over the same period from 29.8 percent to 16.3 percent. That improvement is significant, but the level of youth unemployment remains a clear warning: the connection between education, vocational training and the labor market must be strengthened further.<\/p>\n
For Cura\u00e7ao, the debate in Montevideo therefore had direct significance. A country seeking inclusive growth can no longer treat education, digital skills, women\u2019s participation, migration policy and social protection as separate policy fields. Together, they form the basis for income security, productivity and social cohesion.<\/p>\n
Alongside education, gender equality and technological transformation, migration and inequality featured prominently on the agenda. For Cura\u00e7ao, those issues are not abstract. Labor migration, demographic change and social cohesion directly affect the structure of the labor market, the pressure on public services and the quality of policymaking. That is why the SER considers active participation in regional networks essential: they allow countries and institutions to exchange knowledge, experience and policy practices.<\/p>\n
On May 21, the SER also attended the opening of a meeting of RICESIS, the Ibero-American network of economic and social councils and similar institutions. Since Cura\u00e7ao is not an Ibero-American country, the SER\u2019s engagement with this network is framed around observer participation. That position offers an additional route to connect Cura\u00e7ao with Ibero-American networks for social dialogue, policy knowledge and institutional cooperation.<\/p>\n
According to the SER, international participation is not an end. Its value lies in translating regional insights into better, evidence-based advice for Cura\u00e7ao. The issues addressed in Montevideo \u2014 migration, inequality, women\u2019s opportunities, education and artificial intelligence \u2014 directly affect the future of work, income and social cohesion on the island.<\/p>\n
With its participation, the SER reaffirmed its commitment to connecting Cura\u00e7ao with regional and global knowledge networks for social dialogue. At a time when social and economic challenges increasingly cross borders, that connection is essential to enrich Cura\u00e7ao\u2019s policymaking with comparative insights, practical experience and broadly supported solutions.<\/p>\n
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Willemstad\/Montevideo, May 26, 2026 \u2014 In a region where artificial intelligence, migration and inequality are rapidly reshaping the world of work, Cura\u00e7ao faces a pressing policy question: how to ensure that young people, women and workers are not left behind.<\/p>\n
That question was at the center of the participation of the Social and Economic Council of Cura\u00e7ao, the SER, in an international meeting of economic and social councils and institutions for social dialogue, held from May 19 to 21, 2026, at the Centro de Formaci\u00f3n de la Cooperaci\u00f3n Espa\u00f1ola in Montevideo, Uruguay. The SER was represented by Raul Henriquez, director and secretary-general, and Miloushka Sboui-Racamy, senior adviser for international affairs.<\/p>\n
The meeting brought together social dialogue institutions from Spain, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Portugal, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, Costa Rica, Panama and Cura\u00e7ao. Discussions focused on democratic governance, migration, discrimination, inequality, women\u2019s access to opportunity, education and the social consequences of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
The meeting was officially opened by Juan Castillo, Uruguay\u2019s minister of labor and social security. His presence underscored a central message of the gathering: social dialogue is not merely a formal consultative mechanism, but a tool for making societies more resilient in a period of rapid social, technological and economic change.<\/p>\n
During the meeting of CESISALC, the regional network of economic and social councils and similar institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean, the SER contributed to two themes directly relevant to Cura\u00e7ao\u2019s policy agenda: women\u2019s access to development opportunities and the future of education in the age of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
According to the SER, these issues converge in one central task: building a stronger connection between education, skills, the labor market and social mobility. Formal equality is necessary, but not sufficient. Real opportunities for women require access to education, work, entrepreneurship, leadership and decision-making. Education, vocational training and lifelong learning are therefore not secondary policy concerns; they are conditions for economic independence and meaningful participation in society.<\/p>\n
Artificial intelligence, the SER emphasized, should not be treated as a purely technological development. For a small, open and multilingual economy like Cura\u00e7ao, AI is above all a policy question. The way schools, employers, workers and government respond to digital transformation will help determine whether new technologies expand opportunity or deepen existing labor-market divides.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Cura\u00e7ao, the central question is not whether artificial intelligence will change the labor market, but whether our education and labor-market policies will adapt quickly enough to include young people, women and workers<\/p>\n
in that transition,\u201d said Henriquez. \u201cInstitutionalized social dialogue is not an administrative formality. It is a necessary instrument for making policy workable, balanced and broadly supported.\u201d<\/p>\n
The urgency for Cura\u00e7ao is concrete. According to the most recent figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) of Cura\u00e7ao, the general unemployment rate fell from 13.1 percent in 2022 to 7.8 percent in 2024. Youth unemployment declined over the same period from 29.8 percent to 16.3 percent. That improvement is significant, but the level of youth unemployment remains a clear warning: the connection between education, vocational training and the labor market must be strengthened further.<\/p>\n
For Cura\u00e7ao, the debate in Montevideo therefore had direct significance. A country seeking inclusive growth can no longer treat education, digital skills, women\u2019s participation, migration policy and social protection as separate policy fields. Together, they form the basis for income security, productivity and social cohesion.<\/p>\n
Alongside education, gender equality and technological transformation, migration and inequality featured prominently on the agenda. For Cura\u00e7ao, those issues are not abstract. Labor migration, demographic change and social cohesion directly affect the structure of the labor market, the pressure on public services and the quality of policymaking. That is why the SER considers active participation in regional networks essential: they allow countries and institutions to exchange knowledge, experience and policy practices.<\/p>\n
On May 21, the SER also attended the opening of a meeting of RICESIS, the Ibero-American network of economic and social councils and similar institutions. Since Cura\u00e7ao is not an Ibero-American country, the SER\u2019s engagement with this network is framed around observer participation. That position offers an additional route to connect Cura\u00e7ao with Ibero-American networks for social dialogue, policy knowledge and institutional cooperation.<\/p>\n
According to the SER, international participation is not an end. Its value lies in translating regional insights into better, evidence-based advice for Cura\u00e7ao. The issues addressed in Montevideo \u2014 migration, inequality, women\u2019s opportunities, education and artificial intelligence \u2014 directly affect the future of work, income and social cohesion on the island.<\/p>\n
With its participation, the SER reaffirmed its commitment to connecting Cura\u00e7ao with regional and global knowledge networks for social dialogue. At a time when social and economic challenges increasingly cross borders, that connection is essential to enrich Cura\u00e7ao\u2019s policymaking with comparative insights, practical experience and broadly supported solutions.<\/p>\n
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