The Charter December 15, 1954

After the Second World War, there was a growing desire to change the relationship between the Netherlands and its Caribbean territories. Following several conferences and negotiations, the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands was established.

On December 15, 1954, Queen Juliana signed the Charter in The Hague. At that time, the Kingdom consisted of the Netherlands, Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles, of which Curaçao was one of the six islands.

The Charter established how the countries could manage their own affairs and cooperate on matters of common interest.

Important developments that followed included:

1975: Suriname became independent.

1986: Aruba became a separate country within the Kingdom.

October 10, 2010: The Netherlands Antilles was dissolved. Curaçao became an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Today, the Kingdom consists of the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten.

The Charter is important because it defines the constitutional relationship between the countries and establishes arrangements for cooperation and mutual assistance.