State visit to Suriname – programme

News item | 24-11-2025 | 13:05

The King and Queen will be accompanied on the first day of the visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, David van Weel, and on the other two days by the Minister of Justice and Security, Foort van Oosten. The Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Gouke Moes, and the Minister for the Environment and Public Transport, Thierry Aartsen, will also attend events during the state visit.

This state visit will highlight the broad cooperation between Suriname and the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the close ties that unite our people. In acknowledgement of our shared history, the visit will focus on cooperation, the exchange of ideas and experiences, and future partnerships in numerous areas.

Monday 1 December

Morning

Welcome ceremony

President Simons and her husband will receive the King and Queen during an official welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace, which will be followed by a tête-a-tête.

Delegation meeting

The King and Queen and the Dutch ministers will meet with President Simons and her ministers.

Statement to the press

President Simons and King Willem-Alexander will give a short statement to the press, with a particular focus on the broad cooperation between our two countries.

Wreath-laying

The King and Queen will lay a wreath at the statue of Mama Sranan, which symbolises ‘Mother Suriname’. The statue depicts a woman holding five children in her arms, each of which represents one of Suriname’s demographic groups.

National Assembly

Suriname’s parliament, the National Assembly, consists of 51 members in a unicameral house with legislative, administrative and scrutinising powers. Members are elected directly for a term of five years. King Willem-Alexander will briefly address the National Assembly.

Afternoon

High Court of Justice

The King and Queen will also visit Suriname’s judiciary. At the High Court of Justice, they will meet with the president of the court and some of its judges to discuss the important role that the independent judiciary plays in democracies. The former courtroom and the building housing the High Court of Justice are situated in the historic inner city of Paramaribo, which is included on UNESCOs World Heritage List.

Meeting with representatives of descendants of enslaved people and indigenous communities

The King and Queen will meet with representatives of descendants of enslaved people and indigenous communities for a dialogue on the past and the future.

State banquet

President Simons will host a state banquet in honour of the state visit by King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima.

Tuesday 2 December

Morning

Villa Zapakara

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will visit Villa Zapakara, a foundation whose work focuses on young people's development through art, culture and education. In the children’s museum, young people learn about the power of culture and nature and about their own inner power. Villa Zapakara organises creative interactive exhibitions and a range of workshops and activities and has a media library with books and films on art and culture. The current exhibition teaches children about Suriname’s unique Javanese-Surinamese culture and about their own identity.

Institute for Natural Resources and Engineering Studies

The Institute for Natural Resources and Engineering Studies (NATIN) offers young people secondary vocational education that prepares them for technical, engineering and laboratory careers in the business and services sectors and in government. The King and Queen will tour the school and speak with students of electrical engineering, offshore energy and other programmes. They will also attend a hackathon, organised by Deltares, focusing on climate, water and urban resilience in Suriname.

After this they will meet students from Anton de Kom University who are taking part in the Food Systems and Innovation Challenge, an interdisciplinary competition organised by Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR) and the Netherlands Food Partnership. The students will tell the King and Queen about their innovative and sustainable solutions for making food systems healthier, fairer and more future-proof.

Afternoon

Stichting Buurtwerk Latour

In the afternoon, the King and Queen will visit the community centre run by Stichting Buurtwerk Latour (Stibula), the foundation for community work in the densely populated neighbourhood of Latour. Stibula offers a wide range of activities for young and old, ranging from music, dance and sports to cooking and help with homework. The King and Queen will meet children, youths and volunteers to hear what the community centre means to them. 

Fernandes Bottling Company

At the family-run Fernandes Bottling Company, the King and Queen will tour the modern factory and learn about the bottling process for Suriname’s most famous soft drink. This visit will conclude with discussions on sustainable and circular entrepreneurship and Fernandes’s cooperation with the Great Plastic Bake Off and FUSE Kitchen.

CEO Roundtable Meeting

The King and Queen will take part in the conclusion of the CEO Roundtable Meeting, joining discussions on strengthening economic cooperation and the investment climate, creating the sustainable economy of the future, talent development and building labour capacity. After this there will be an opportunity for Dutch and Surinamese companies to meet and for the King and Queen to speak with some of the meeting participants. 

Evening

Return hospitality

As thanks for the hospitality they have received in Suriname, the King and Queen will host a cultural programme in the evening. In Theater Thalia, Dutch singer-songwriter Sabrina Starke, who was born in Suriname, will perform songs from her repertoire together with Surinamese musicians.

Wednesday 3 December

Morning

Sailing trip

The final day of the state visit will begin with a sailing trip on the Suriname and Commewijne rivers. During the trip, the King and Queen will hear about the spiritual, economic and ecological value of the river waters and mangrove forests for the people of Suriname. With more than 90% of its territory covered by tropical rainforest, and as one of the world’s three carbon-negative countries, Suriname is committed to nature preservation.

Johan & Margaretha

The boat will make a stop in the village of Johan & Margaretha, on the northeastern bank of the Commewijne river in the district of Commewijne, a former major plantation area. Here the King and Queen will meet people from the local community and talk with residents of the village who, alongside their day-to-day work, also help preserve the stories that are recounted in the Frederiksdorp educational centre. 

Frederiksdorp

The former coffee and cacao plantation of Frederiksdorp, situated on the northeastern bank of the Commewijne river, is now an educational centre linking the past with the present. 
Here the King and Queen will see a diorama entitled ‘Life at the Plantation’, by the Aruban-Surinamese artist Rita Maasdamme, which depicts life in Suriname in the colonial era. Also in Frederiksdorp, the King and Queen will speak with young professionals working in cultural heritage preservation, including archaeologists and staff from Suriname’s national archive. The heritage preservationists will talk about the challenges and opportunities that Suriname’s cultural heritage sector presents, and they will share their experiences and views on how Suriname and the Netherlands cooperate in this area. 

Afternoon

Reception for the Dutch community

The third and final day of the state visit will conclude with a reception for the Dutch community in Suriname. At the official residence, the King and Queen will speak with Dutch nationals living and/or working in Suriname.
 

Government Information Service, no. 314