Building the future of Curaçao through collaboration.
The local challenges facing Curaçao cannot be solved by one organisation, one sector or one initiative alone. They require collaboration, trust and a shared ambition to create lasting impact.
Club17 was created to make that possible.
Curaçao is home to many organisations, businesses, umbrella organisations, government institutions, educational institutions and community initiatives that are all committed to improving the island.
Many work towards the same ambitions, often without knowing what others are already doing. Valuable knowledge, expertise and resources remain disconnected, while similar initiatives sometimes develop alongside each other instead of together.
Club17 was created to bring these strengths together.
As an independent and neutral collaboration platform, Club17 connects organisations across sectors, helps build trusted relationships and creates opportunities to strengthen existing initiatives through collaboration. Where no suitable initiative yet exists, partners come together to develop new projects that address local challenges collectively. The result is a stronger network, better coordination and greater impact for Curaçao.
The SDGs are our method. Local impact is the goal.
The SDGs give us a shared language for issues that, in practice, are closely connected. Equal opportunity is inseparable from education. Health is inseparable from the environment people live in. Social progress is inseparable from work, secure livelihoods and economic development. Look at one piece on its own, and you will usually miss part of the solution. That is why Club17 uses the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals as its method.
The Sustainable Development Goals
What are the SDGs?
Seventeen goals, agreed by every UN member state in 2015 and set for 2030. They cover poverty, health, education, work, climate and inequality — the things a society has to get right at the same time. They help us see the connections, speak the same language, and make results measurable. But the conversation does not begin with the icons. It begins with what Curaçao needs to become sustainable and future-proof. For Club17 they are a language, not a label.
Our Story.
Club17 Curaçao originated in 2019 during the development of the Water Refill Program. While leading this initiative, Lara Melkert of the D-TAP Foundation, recognised that many organisations shared the same ambition for Curaçao but lacked a structured way to collaborate across sectors. Inspired by participation methodologies traditionally used within the public sector, she developed a practical collaboration model tailored to businesses, government, education, NGOs and community organisations.
This became the Club17 Method.
Curaçao became the first and Founding Chapter of Club17 worldwide. Initially established within the D-TAP Foundation, the growing trust, commitment and support from local partners led to the creation of an independent Club17 Curaçao Foundation. Today, the Curaçao chapter serves as the foundation and inspiration for future Club17 chapters around the world.
Independent by design. Stronger through shared leadership.
Club17 believes that the future of Curaçao should never be shaped by one organisation, one sector or one individual. Its governance model brings together leaders from Curaçao's key sectors, ensuring that strategic decisions are balanced, independent and always guided by what creates the greatest long-term value for the island. This independent structure safeguards the integrity of Club17 while strengthening collaboration between sectors that would not traditionally work together.
Advisory Council.
the independent strategic advisory body of Club17 Curaçao.
Neysa Isenia
Utilities and Infrastructure
Chief Executive Officer at Aqualectra Utility
Vanessa Toré
International Cooperation and
Sustainable Development
Director Foreign Economic Cooperation at Ministry of Economic Development of Curaçao
Manfred van Veghel
Nature, Biodiversity, and Systems Thinking
Director Carmabi
Stella Van Rijn
Education, Governance, and
Sustainable Development
Rector Magnificus University of Curaçao
Dr. Moises da Costa Gomez (UoC)
Daniel Corsen
Leadership, Culture, and Systems Change
Chair, World Scout Committee
& CEO Reshapers
Marius van Noort
Trade and logistics Curaçao
CEO Maduro Holding
Muryad de Bruin
Sustainable Tourism and
Economic Development
Managing Director at Curaçao Tourist Board
Thakaidzwa ‘Thakai’ Doran
Health, Wellbeing, and Inclusive Growth
Founder Mind into Matter
Representing eight key sectors of society.
its members advise on the long-term direction of the organisation and help ensure that every major initiative contributes to the shared vision for Curaçao. Beyond governance, the Council plays an active role in strengthening projects. By combining strategic expertise, sector knowledge and professional networks, members help identify opportunities to increase impact, strengthen partnerships and connect projects with organisations that can add value.
The Council also reviews proposals for official Club17 Projects and provides strategic advice on initiatives exceeding ANG 50,000, ensuring that projects carrying the Club17 name contribute to meaningful, measurable and long-term impact.
The Council of 17 is the official youth advisory council of Club17 Curaçao.
Composed of students from the University of Curaçao, the Council ensures that the perspectives of the next generation are structurally embedded in the development of Club17.
Following preliminary advice from the Advisory Council, strategic proposals are shared with the Council of 17 for reflection from a youth perspective. Their recommendations are then considered before final strategic advice is issued.
This creates a unique dialogue between today's leaders and tomorrow's leaders, ensuring that long-term decisions are informed by both experience and the expectations of future generations.
Visionairs of Club17.
The journey of Club17 Curaçao would not have been possible without the organisations that believed in the vision from the very beginning.
