During the Tripartite meeting of the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, held on October 15 in Curaçao, Member of Parliament Shailiny Tromp-Lee called attention to the fact that the three Caribbean countries have not yet received a formal response to the joint resolution of their parliamentary delegations regarding the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ stance on a United Nations resolution related to slavery.
Concern over lack of consultation
This joint resolution, approved during the Tripartite meeting in The Hague in June 2026, expresses the concern of the three delegations regarding the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ decision to abstain from voting on the United Nations resolution of March 25, 2026, which recognizes slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as one of the most serious crimes against humanity.
According to the joint resolution of the Caribbean countries, Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten were not consulted beforehand, despite the great historical, social, and moral significance this topic holds for the three nations.
Following its approval in June, the resolution was submitted to the IPKO presidium with the request that colleagues in the Senate and House of Representatives (Eerste en Tweede Kamer) forward the document to the Kingdom Government. A written and reasoned response from the Kingdom Government was requested, along with a concrete proposal to improve consultation procedures within a timeframe of three months.
Formal reminder to the Kingdom Government
During the October meeting, MP Tromp-Lee pointed out that the three-month deadline had already passed without the requested response arriving. For this reason, she proposed sending a formal reminder and giving the Kingdom Government an additional period of one month to reply. Tromp-Lee’s proposal was approved, and the reminder will be sent to the Netherlands.
Structural role in international decisions
For Tromp-Lee, this matter goes beyond simply receiving an answer: “We must guarantee that such a situation is not repeated. Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten must be consulted in a timely manner and play a real role in preparing international decisions that affect our history, our identity, and our society.”
The resolution calls for the three countries to have a structural role in shaping the Kingdom’s stance on human rights, historical responsibility, and other international decisions that may impact them.
Tromp-Lee hopes that the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom (Rijksministerraad) will now provide the requested response and that this situation will lead to clearer and more effective consultation procedures, ensuring that Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten are not excluded from decisions that affect them.