IPKO delegations to visit Haarlem ageing care model

GREAT BAY--Delegations from the parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands will begin the next Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation, IPKO, with ageing as one of the issues requiring closer attention, including a working visit to “The Neighbourhood as an Ecosystem” in Haarlem.

The visit, scheduled for Friday afternoon, June 5, will take place in the context of the IPKO sub-theme of ageing. It will give the Kingdom delegations a direct look at a neighborhood-based model of care that is being developed in Haarlem to help older residents remain longer in their own homes and communities, while reducing pressure on formal care systems.

“The Neighbourhood as an Ecosystem” is a community care approach that brings together residents, volunteers, informal caregivers, healthcare workers, welfare organizations, family doctors, the municipality, local institutions and neighborhood partners. The model is based on the idea that a neighborhood can function as a support network in which people look out for one another, identify needs earlier and connect residents to the right assistance before problems become more serious.

In Haarlem, the model is being piloted in the Vijfhoek and part of the city center. The area was selected because of several factors that are also relevant to many island communities, including a high number of one-person households, concerns about loneliness, older housing that is not always suitable for ageing residents, pressure on healthcare workers and a declining pool of informal caregivers.

The model does not replace professional care. Instead, it seeks to organize the neighborhood around prevention, early support, social connection and cooperation among professionals and residents. Medical care comes into the picture when needed, but the broader goal is to prevent isolation, reduce avoidable care demand and strengthen the social fabric that helps older people continue living with dignity in familiar surroundings.

For the Dutch Caribbean islands, the visit is particularly relevant following the ageing concerns previously presented during an IPKO-related session by Richard van Zwol, former Chair of the Dutch State Commission on Demographic Developments 2050. Van Zwol warned that the Caribbean part of the Kingdom is ageing at nearly the same rate as the European Netherlands, but with fewer resources to adapt.

His presentation highlighted that the share of people aged 65 and older is rising across the Kingdom, while the working-age population is shrinking. This shift is expected to affect healthcare, housing, labor markets, social services, pensions and public finances in the years ahead.

For St. Maarten and the wider Dutch Caribbean, the Haarlem visit therefore offers more than a look at a Dutch neighborhood project. It provides a practical example of how communities can begin preparing for ageing before systems become overwhelmed. The islands face their own realities, including limited land, smaller healthcare systems, housing constraints, high cost of living, migration patterns, and limited public sector capacity. These conditions make prevention, community support and coordination across agencies even more important.

The IPKO will officially open on Friday, June 5, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. in the plenary hall of the House of Representatives. Delegation leaders will present recent developments in their respective countries, including Senator Paul Rosenmöller, delegation leader of the States General.

Following the opening session, the delegations will travel to Haarlem for the working visit to “The Neighbourhood as an Ecosystem.” The visit is expected to support further discussion on how ageing can be addressed not only through healthcare policy, but also through housing, community planning, neighborhood support, volunteer networks, social services and cooperation between government and civil society.

On Saturday, June 6, the consultation will continue under the main theme “Cooperation within the IPKO and in the Kingdom.” The program will include a panel discussion moderated by Wouter Veenendaal, Professor by Special Appointment of Kingdom Relations at Leiden University.

On Monday, June 8, representatives of the National Citizens’ Council on Climate will give an interactive presentation on how citizens can be actively involved in the topic of climate change. The Kingdom Consultation will conclude later that afternoon with the adoption and signing of the list of agreements.

A joint media briefing with the chairs of the four delegations is scheduled for Monday, June 8, at 2:00 p.m.

The IPKO is held twice each year and brings together parliamentary delegations from the countries of the Kingdom. It provides a platform for exchanging views, identifying shared concerns and strengthening cooperation on issues affecting Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands.

With ageing now recognized as a growing challenge across the Kingdom, the Haarlem working visit is expected to place practical community-based solutions at the center of discussion. For the islands, the question will be how lessons from models such as “The Neighbourhood as an Ecosystem” can be translated into local approaches that reflect island realities, protect older residents, support families and prepare public systems for the demographic changes already underway.

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