Kralendijk, 9 November 2026 (PAHO): A multi‑disciplinary team from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Trinidad and Tobago and Dutch Caribbean Office and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Netherlands, completed a collaborative mission to Bonaire from 2 – 7 November 2026.
The week-long engagement focused on strengthening the island’s systems for death certification and cause‑of‑death registration, key components of a well-functioning public health and civil registration framework.
The mission began with three days of stakeholder consultations that included discussions with the Bonaire’s Regional health Services, Statistics Netherlands Bonaire’s Office, Census Bureau, Hospital, Elderly Care, Public Prosecutor, Forensic and other Specialist Physicians’, as well as institutions and professionals involved at various stages of the mortality reporting process.
The consultations consisted of structured meetings with agencies involved in death certification, registration, and use of mortality data, around governance and policy oversight, death certification practices, forensic investigation and certification, hospital-based mortality reporting, civil registration procedures, statistical compilation and funeral home processes and interactions with registration systems.
The mission also included a two-day training session held on the 5 November and 7 November which focused on building technical capacity among general practitioners, forensic doctors, other health professionals and government staff. This intensive training on death certification and cause‑of‑death registration was grounded in WHO standards and practical case-based exercises. Additionally, the dedicated workshop brought these stakeholders together to refine and validate the country’s process map, ensuring that the roles, timelines, and data flows were clearly defined and aligned across institutions.
The mission drew on a strong partnership between the PAHO/ WHO Trinidad and Tobago and Dutch Caribbean Country Office and the RIVM. Together, they supported Bonaire’s continuing efforts to enhance the quality and reliability of its mortality data which supports public health planning, policy-making, and monitoring health trends that affect the population.
By the end of the mission, participating institutions had not only improved their technical capacity but had also strengthened cross-sector collaboration, ensuring that the systems surrounding death certification operate with greater clarity, consistency, and accuracy. PAHO/WHO reaffirmed its commitment to working alongside Aruba and its partners to continue improving the systems that protect the health and well-being of its people.
