Repositioning Our Sails - Masterplan

Aruba’s Mission Driven Model for Economic Recovery & Resilience

The Government of Aruba recently published the “Repositioning Our Sails Masterplan. The plan is available digitally on www.repositioningoursails.com.

From the Office of the Prime Minister of Aruba:

“Aruba is facing an acute socio-economic emergency as a result of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis. The Government of Aruba had to prioritize public health and safety, and it left us with no choice but to instate a temporary lock-down of our borders. The health measures taken, and the resulting standstill of tourism activities, caused significant economic contraction. The effects will be felt on long-term. Recovery will take time and will largely depend on the rate of tourism recovery and decisive policy actions.

To bounce back, our nation is called upon to embrace a new way of thinking. For Aruba, now more than ever, the motto ‘business as usual’ no longer stands. We must apply relentless focus to our economic response. Our decisions today and those we make going forward should pave the way for Aruba to become a resilient island and an environmentally responsible society. We owe this to the current residents and to our future generations.

The Government of Aruba has therefore organized a nationally coordinated effort to develop an actionable plan for Economic Recovery and Innovation; Repositioning Our Sails Master Plan. This plan seeks economic growth that is smart, inclusive and sustainable and aims at putting the crucial conditions in place for the resilient economy we need on the long term, while achieving immediate short-term benefits, with the widest national support.

In this regard, the Recovery and Innovation Committee, established in April 2020, became a unique public-private platform, which consisted of private, public, academic, and civic sector representatives.

More than 125 citizens participated based on their professional background on a personal basis. This plan is the result of the participants’ hard work and commitment to a common vision.

This Master Plan is our road map towards the future society we want, a resilient Aruba. To get where we need to be, we must remain focused. We must take decisive actions and we must do this together. The years ahead will not be easy for our island. We have to accept this and be realistic about timeframes and what we can do with our limited resources, while setting ambitious targets. That said, we should not lose sight of the fact that the implementation of this Master Plan is a shared responsibility of the public and private sectors and of our community at large.

On behalf of the Government of Aruba, I would like to thank the 125+ professionals for voluntarily contributing to this urgent national call for action. I would also like to thank our citizens, and the community for their contribution to this plan, whether it being incoming letters with valuable insights, participating in our digital survey, or your input during the digital town halls. We greatly appreciate and value your time and effort and we are grateful for your commitment and dedication in these challenging times.

I believe in the strength of our nation and in the resiliency and creativity of our people. We will build back stronger, together.

Unity is Strength.”

Evelyn Wever-Croes – The Prime Minister of Aruba