Gerbert Kunst to leave Dutch Caribbean representative post early

Gerbert Kunst will leave his post as the Netherlands’ representative in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten on 1 March 2027, returning to the Netherlands early for personal reasons, the Dutch government says.

Kunst took up the role on 15 May 2025. His deputy, Marieke van der Linden, will take over as representative from 1 March 2027.

Kunst will also start a new job that day as director of Knowledge, International, Europe and Macroeconomics and cluster director for Management Support at the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. The ministry says both sides considered a new role in the Netherlands following his early return.

In a statement, Kunst said he had worked with colleagues in Willemstad, Oranjestad and Philipsburg on economic development, support for vulnerable social sectors, food security, sustainability and resilience to crises. He said he would carry with him the close ties he had built across the three countries.

Barbera Wolfensberger, the ministry’s director-general for Kingdom Relations, said she regretted his early departure and valued that he had agreed to delay it by several months.