WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao government has approved the country's contribution to the Kingdom of the Netherlands' next report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a process that will examine how the Kingdom has implemented its international obligations to combat racism and discrimination.
The Council of Ministers approved Curaçao's contribution to the combined 25th through 28th periodic report under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Curaçao's contribution will now be submitted through the Kingdom's formal reporting process.
The report is important because the Kingdom of the Netherlands is the formal party to the UN convention, but its reporting covers the Netherlands, including the Caribbean Netherlands, as well as the autonomous countries Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten.
The next full periodic report is due to the UN Committee on January 9, 2027.
The previous review produced several recommendations with direct relevance to Curaçao and the other Caribbean countries.
During the 2021 review, Curaçao told the UN committee that racial discrimination is prohibited by both the Constitution and Criminal Code and that complaints can be submitted to the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Ombudsman. Curaçao also pointed to government initiatives promoting inclusion.
But the UN committee subsequently raised broader concerns about equality within the Kingdom itself.
Among other issues, CERD expressed concern about the conditions attached to COVID-19 financial assistance to Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten compared with support provided in the European Netherlands.
The committee recommended measures to address discrimination and promote equality between citizens of the Kingdom born in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten and those born in the Netherlands. It also called for the autonomy of the Caribbean countries to be respected and for their populations to participate in decision-making on matters of particular concern to them.
The 2027 reporting round therefore goes beyond documenting individual cases of racial discrimination. It gives Curaçao an opportunity to report on legal protections, government policies and developments since the previous review while also responding to recommendations directed at the Kingdom as a whole.
The UN process can cover issues including racial profiling, hate speech, discrimination in education and employment, access to remedies and the effectiveness of institutions responsible for protecting people against discrimination. Previous UN questioning has specifically sought information on racial profiling in Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten.
Curaçao's approval of its contribution means its portion can now proceed through the Kingdom channel for inclusion in the combined report.
What the government has not yet made public is the content of Curaçao's submission, including what progress it says has been made since the previous UN review and how it responds to recommendations concerning equality between the Caribbean and European parts of the Kingdom.
That document could become particularly relevant once the Kingdom's full report is submitted and the UN committee begins its next assessment of compliance with the Convention.