WILLEMSTAD – Next week Tuesday, September 16, Curaçao will officially welcome Gerbert Kunst as the new Representative of the Netherlands. Kunst took office on May 15, succeeding Edson Hato, who resigned before completing his term. Hato was the first Representative of the Netherlands to come from the islands.

As part of the introduction, the ceremony will also include the traditional commemoration of Prinsjesdag and a reflection on the policy plans of the outgoing Schoof cabinet.

Kunst brings extensive legal, administrative, and diplomatic experience to his new role. He studied law at Leiden University and holds both a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Public Administration (MPA). In his most recent position, he served as Director of International Policy at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). There, he was responsible for relations with the Caribbean part of the Kingdom and was involved in establishing the strategic education alliance.

From 2016 to 2020, Kunst was Consul-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in San Francisco, representing Dutch interests across 13 U.S. West Coast states. He also served as Director of European and International Affairs at the Ministry of Economic Affairs between 2012 and 2016.

Earlier in his career, he held senior posts at the Dutch Permanent Representation to the EU and at the Dutch Embassy in Berlin, working on agriculture, nature, and fisheries policy, and later served as Deputy Director of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Agriculture.

Kunst’s appointment is seen as a continuation of efforts to strengthen the relationship between the Netherlands and Curaçao at a politically sensitive time, with both economic and social issues high on the agenda.