Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten hosts Adlith Brown Memorial Lecture featuring Aruba central bank president on economic resilience and transformation

The Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten hosted the 2025 Adlith Brown Memorial Lecture as part of its Annual Monetary Studies Conference, with Jeanette Semeleer, President of the Central Bank of Aruba, delivering the keynote address on Aruba’s approach to building resilience through economic transformation. In her speech, titled “Aruba, From Isla Inutil to Isla Innovativo,” Semeleer drew on Aruba’s experience with external shocks to argue for “bouncing forward” rather than “bouncing back.” She highlighted efforts to diversify beyond tourism, invest in human capital, strengthen institutional capacity and independence, and pursue environmental stewardship through responsible tourism, green energy, the blue economy and digital transformation. The address also emphasised crisis management discipline, including clear communication and contingency planning, and called for collaboration across institutions and communities in response to geopolitical and climate-related headwinds. Following a Q&A session, CBCS President Richard Doornbosch noted the value of Semeleer’s perspective, and the bank indicated that a video of the lecture is available via its YouTube and social media channels.