On March 21, 2023, King Willem Alexander of the Kingdom of the Netherlands organized a gathering with the Prime Ministers and ministers of the Small Island Developing States.
The attendees included the leaders of Aruba, St. Maarten, Bonaire, Curacao, St. Kitts, Barbados, Jamaica, Tuvalu, Fiji, and the Maldives. During the encounter, they focused mainly on the small islands concerning climate change and water issues.
The Prime Minister stated that although similarities with the other islands, Aruba is an exception regarding the challenges the other islands face, as these do not affect Aruba. An important issue discussed was water availability in the Caribbean Islands. Contrary to Aruba, many other regional islands cannot supply water 24 hours to their communities but only part of the day.
For Aruba, the sea water desalination plant is a blessing. Many other islands hope to one day have such water purification plants.
WEB Aruba provides purified water 24 hours a day in a steady supply which we must not take for granted. The Aruban community should be more aware of the importance of water and use it consciously. It is a community’s commitment to using water consciously to guarantee its availability for everyone. It is a big challenge to which the Government is committed.
The Prime Minister thanked King Willem Alexander for organizing this encounter and addressing the issue in context with the small islands since they usually do not get due attention.
