Curacao 2030; Society 5.0

Presenting the current state of the process and next defining the next steps.

Due COVID-19 only 30 participants!

Please register at https://www.curacao2030.net/conference-curacao-2030

Workshop is held on Friday 17 July

Time Agenda

14:00 Reception

Current version of Vision

Further steps

Organizing and structuring for change

18:00 Closing

Register at: https://www.curacao2030.net/conference-curacao-2030

The Vision 2030 is published on the website www.curacao2030.net

This document is a vision for Curaçao through the year 2030. It has been co-created by many contributors. It is a living and evolving document that is continuously updated based on new insights, feedback, and input received. It will be the basis for incentivization to develop ongoing initiatives, priorities, and an implementation plan that specifies related to who should do what and when.

The process that participants and readers go through is as necessary as the document itself. The Vision lives in the hearts and minds of people and guides their projects and daily activities. In this sense, the implementation of the Vision has already begun.

The horizon of 2030 is not fixed. Indeed, it is always in motion. To reach some objectives, it might take longer, lasting as far as 2040, 2045, or even 2069 for the most ambitious aspects.

Aside from this introduction, the document discusses four scenarios of the future and seven areas in dedicated chapters.

4 Scenarios – Perception and Approach

Scenarios are organized according to a “We” vs. “I” perspective as well as a centralized vs. decentralized approach. Thus, the 4 combinations (i.e., scenarios) include the following and are described in Sections 2.0 through 5.0:

• Section 2.0: Centralized/I - Lock Step

• 3.0: Decentralized/I - Hack Attack

• 4.0: Centralized/We - Clever Together

• 5.0: Decentralized/We – Smart Scramble

Download the vision via www.curacao2030.net

In 2030 Curaçao stays in the doughnut in the following way. Curaçao boasts a creative, innovative, and knowledgeable pool of talent, both locally and globally. These resources, along with the further development of the Information Communication Telecommunication (ICT) infrastructure, will be the economic backbone of the island.

Curaçao in 2030 has advanced manufacturing and production stimulated by the government using local materials such as aquatic sea materials. The country has a well-organized supply chain and transport system. The country makes use of the reference to its name “cura” or healing and offers wellness and healing to tourists who travel to the island making use of a sophisticated health travel system because of the Islands holistic and advanced healthcare system.

In 2030 there is much more involvement of local capital (investments) in local development, like in agriculture and energy.

The local economy is the basis for export. Curaçao has a healthy import/export economy. Most food and beverage are locally sourced. The inhabitants of Curaçao have developed the natural resources of the island and the local talent to create desirable goods and services for the local population and international demands.

Personal capacities of the Curaçao people have boosted the economy, making Curaçao a unique island where the individual well-being is part of the economy. The island has shorter workweeks , and there is a shift from working for large corporate companies to working in small networks of SME’s

Key sectors to focus on in the short-term include the following:

• ICT cluster

• Center for Education (Transnational Education)

• Harbor (logistics)

o maritime sector

o Cross-sector: maritime logistical sector

• Tourism (niche)

• Energy

• Creative industry

• Financial Services

While this would be an excellent outcome, it is important to note that the future is about cross-sector innovation over all the borders of these traditional sectors and others who still must be identified.

Living Neighborhood Home

Well-being is greatly influenced by how we live in our houses and Neighborhoods

General Discussion

We, as human beings, are social beings, wired to connect with other human beings and to help each other were this is possible and feeling right about this. Assisting others to triggers our altruism. Because of our conditioning in the past decades all over the world, this natural tendency has withered down. We believe that on top of building one’s own family, investing in one’s network of friends, having nurturing relationships in our neighborhoods is an excellent way to fulfill this human need, adding to our overall well-being. As a family, we need environments that enable us from the age of 0 till we are an elder, to be able to live, have experiences, grow and develop ourselves to be our best versions. An enabling environment in our own houses and neighborhoods is where everything else starts.

6.2 The Vision

In 2030 there will be more two-parent families that will create a safe and inspiring environment for their children to grow up, especially for those between 0 to 7 years old, as they are being formed mostly during these years. Parents will communicate better and more respectful among themselves and be better “role models” teaching children, that it is not about material wealth, that life is all about.

There would be low threshold programs for parents, which will include programs for single-parent families, who are interested, to teach them to become better educators of their children. This will include storytelling by role model parents, especially fathers, who have broken the cycle of dysfunctional absent father upbringing of their children. An essential element that will be taught besides creating a safe environment for their children will be recognition and mastery of emotions of themselves so that they can connect with their children and loved ones. This nucleus family is the basis for elderly care and care for members with special needs, as many will live with them and fulfill an active role. As the elderly require more attention, there will be structures and organizations supporting the family to provide the care.

Neighbors from all generations would be supportive in educating, correcting, and rewarding the children when needed, and there would be more “convivensa” (“peaceful coexistence” in the neighborhood. Develop a more loving and caring neighborhood. Special attention will be given to “live” off-line gatherings and meetings, but also possibilities to meet online via social media e.g. This will include sharing opportunities for leisure and educational purposes (Edutainment) for all generations, with special attention to children, adolescents, the elderly and those handicapped. This will be offered mostly by neighbors among themselves, taking care of others, and correcting each other was possible.

People and NGO’s in the “barrios” are based on self-reliance, with the help of volunteer organizations like Service Clubs, Cura Doet, Kaya Kaya, in collaboration with the government, are involved in the rebuilding, maintenance, and further upgrade of their own “barrios.”

There are programs that are in place for parents and citizens in “barrios” and aimed at creating more adequate belief systems related to self-reliance, pro-activity, communication skills between the genders, and other programs designed at “convivensa” in the “barrios.”

As part of a joint neighborhood project to teach, especially children and the youth, “sustainable development and respect for nature,” opportunities to grow plants, vegetables and fruits will be made available. Where necessary youth who deserve a second chance will be offered soft and vocational skills training, e-learning, mentoring and coaching to make them more resilient for their future role in society.

In 2030 Curaçao in the area of transportation will:

• Offer adequate services like grocery shops, medical services, schools, after-school education possibilities, a meeting place at walking and biking distance, while also increasing the social coherence in the “barrio” this will lower the need to use one’s own or public or Uber-like transportation services that are offered;

• Have better and safer sidewalks and cycle tracks;

• Have a highly accessible public transport system in terms of connectivity, fees differentiated according to age-groups and on-time performance in all neighborhoods, lowering the need for families to have their electric cars for private and business uses;

• Have members of the community actively involved in pool driving the maintenance of bus stops;

• Via special programs have universal internet access for all social groups as online working, and social connectivity has become the new normal, lowering the need to use cars and airplanes;

• Have comfortable, high quality and cost-efficient, reliable, 2-way access to all destinations by sea and by air for passengers, freight and data communication; and

• Curaçao has developed itself into a regional hub of data and cargo via our seaport and the airport, because of the geographical position, highly qualified infrastructure and services, multi-lingual community, and service-oriented employees.

In 2030, after years of increasing health deprivation of the Curaçaoan population relative to the Netherlands and other politically affiliated Caribbean states, Curaçao is back on track to reach one of the highest life expectancies in the Caribbean again. The paradigm shift from curative healthcare to a broader understanding of health is well underway. We try not only to make sick people better but also to keep healthy people healthy. It is now widely understood that the unequal distribution of social and economic factors as education, housing, income, and employment produces significant inequities in health, and therefore requires appropriate policy responses. People from all backgrounds now have the opportunity to live and work in healthy environments, to eat healthy nutrition, to fall back on a social safety net, to attend quality educational facilities, and to access healthcare services equally. Moreover, substantial efforts have been made on collective health protection measures such as road safety, improving water and air quality, waste disposal, and sewage systems, and translated intangible results.

In 2030, there is a strong and continuous political commitment to improve and protect the health of our small island community, thereby acknowledging the World Health Organization’s vision that the highest achievable level of mental and physical health is a fundamental human right. Politicians, policymakers, and public servants, through a coherent network of government, community, private, and nonprofit organizations, strive for the provision of high-quality health and social services. Guided by sound research, relevant and timely information is available for decision-makers to prioritize policy areas of suboptimal performance. As these areas are likely to produce the most significant benefits for the community, the scarce resources are deployed with emphasis on optimizing existing services and introducing effective interventions. In these endeavors, strong collaborations between local and Dutch health organizations provide the required level of scale, adequate tools and knowledge, and sufficient financial and human resources to tackle the complex challenges our community faces.

It is through governance that society takes care of basic needs like food and climate.

Climate change is a severe problem. The effect is leading towards loss of land, health, homes, work, and everything we know the world of today. It is the result of a continuous cumulative action that is embedded in our social and economic systems since the industrial revolution. Using (abusing) its earth resources and discarding the consequences has a negative chain reaction effect on the environment of which we humans are extremely dependent on upholding our existence.

Curaçao is experiencing the consequences of this ‘negative chain reaction and effect on the environment,’ which is de facto disruptive on a national scale. In essence, a glitch in our worldwide man-made faulty ‘eco-system’ can mean an immediate effect on our national income and a severe drop in food availability. Curaçao depends on imports for practically 95% of its food and 70% of its energy.

According to the document ‘Green New Deal’ this ‘deal’ consists of two main parts: first the goals we should reach to stop the adverse chain reaction and effect on the environment and second to protect the people of their basic needs, jobs, health, education, human rights, safety, etc.

4.2 The Vision

For Curaçao, an island which has its typical environmental and geographical characteristics, social-economic structures and cultural signature, means that executing these Green New Deal goals (re-balancing the climate and re-adjusting our economy and economic system) should be localized and must include at least the following actions, taking the limited space of 444 square kilometers into account: Grow food locally and set up an effective distribution system.

Scenario 5.0

The political arena is pluriform. E-Government is a reality. Government power is decentralized to the neighborhoods. The island is outward-looking, collaborating, and integrating. The island plays a mediating role in the region, especially in the case of Venezuela.

The economy is based on the principles of the doughnut economy or circular economy. We got there by implementing a Green New Deal. Progress is measured using a well-being index. The economy is based on the innovative ITC cluster and the creative sector. Remote working and learning is the norm. Export has increased, and there is significant structural economic growth. The economy is meaningful and not driven by neoliberal corporations.

The island produces a significant part of the food by applying technology. There is also urban gardening, and people grow part of their food in their gardens and, in some cases, their roofs. This is achieved by bettering the system to collect rainwater.

Among the general characteristics of Scenario 5.0, the following are present:

• E-Learning and Life-Long Learning have been implemented. The main purpose of education is to guide people to live a meaningful life.
• Unemployment and social problems are reduced. Universal Basic Income replaces social security.
• Healthcare is care and not a business. Healthcare means living a healthy lifestyle.
• The internet penetration is nearly 100%. It is the era of the Internet of Things.
• Cryptocurrency is a reality.
• Public transportation is based on electronic vehicles.
• The energy is sustainable. A significant part of the houses generates power using solar panels and other technologies.
• The ecological system is protected by law. There is no conflict between economic development and preservation of the nature of the island.
• There is the rule of law based on modern legislation. A simple, effective tax system is in place.

Summary

Due to the fact that Curaçao is a small island (geographical consideration), as well as historical, cultural, social, and economic factors, the society is divided (i.e., individualistic or I-based, and it is thus centralized in terms of politics and government.

Scenario 2.0 is the best representation of the current state of Curaçao, and in a sense, it has come naturally to the island. Even before the pandemic, this scenario had become no longer sustainable, and the coronavirus has only accelerated this decay.

Ideally, Curaçao is better off aiming to implement Scenario 5.0, which is further described in later sections of the text, and “if we shoot for the stars, we might reach the moon”. In other words, we would be fortunate to reach Scenario 4.0.