This year, the VANEPS Thesis Prize in Aruba was won by Francis Cáceres. The award was presented to him on Tuesday 5 September by attorney at law Brechtje Huiskes, during a special Award Night of the University of Aruba. The Thesis Prize is awarded annually to the best master thesis written by students at the Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba.

This year three theses, which were all graded with an 8 or higher, were eligible for the award. The assessment committee, made up of two members of the scientific staff at the Faculty of Law and three attorneys of VANEPS (Tom Peeters, Brechtje Huiskes and Aubrich Bakhuis), had the difficult task of picking a winner. They considered various criteria, including the social relevance, the structure of the legal substantiation and originality.   

Francis Cáceres won the Thesis Prize for his thesis ‘Waste in Aruba’. According to the assessment committee, Cáceres presents complex subject matter in an easy-to-understand manner and his dissertation provides a clear overview of waste legislation in Aruba. Brechtje Huiskes says: “The thesis addresses a current problem that Aruba needs to tackle in the coming years. Cáceres not only wrote a well-founded thesis, but has managed to give specific recommendations that are geared to the situation in Aruba. According to the committee, this makes him the well-deserved winner.”

VANEPS attaches great value to high-quality education within the Caribbean society. The law firm therefore supports several initiatives in this area, including the presentation of the annual Thesis Prize in Aruba and Curaçao. Other examples include providing support at moot courts and organizing (guest) lectures.