WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao intends to formally inform the United Nations that it supports a resolution addressing transatlantic slavery, distancing itself from the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ decision to abstain from the vote earlier this year.
The move follows a unanimous motion adopted by the Curaçao Parliament on September 7, in which parliamentarians declared that the Kingdom’s abstention did not reflect the views and sentiments of the Curaçao population.
The UN General Assembly adopted the Ghana-sponsored resolution on March 25, 2026, with 123 countries voting in favor. The resolution addresses the trafficking of Africans and slavery as crimes against humanity and the issue of reparatory justice for affected countries and communities.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands abstained from the vote. The Dutch government cited legal concerns about elements of the text, including terminology that it believed could improperly establish a hierarchy among crimes against humanity. Concerns were also raised about the implications surrounding financial reparations.
Curaçao Parliament strongly disagrees with the Kingdom position and, particularly, with the manner in which it was established.
According to the motion, Curaçao was not adequately consulted before the Netherlands took the position on behalf of the Kingdom.
Parliament described the abstention as sending a “confusing and painful” message to descendants of enslaved people, especially after the apologies made by the Netherlands for its role in slavery.
Then-Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte formally apologized on behalf of the government in December 2022. King Willem-Alexander subsequently apologized for the Netherlands’ role in slavery during the July 1, 2023 commemoration of the abolition of slavery.
For Curaçao Parliament, the UN vote therefore raises questions about how those apologies are translated into international policy.
The Curaçao government has now been instructed to communicate directly to the United Nations that Curaçao supports the resolution and that the Kingdom’s abstention should not be interpreted as representing Curaçao’s position.
The decision gives the disagreement an international dimension: Curaçao is seeking to ensure that its position is placed on record separately when it believes the Kingdom position does not reflect the island’s views on an issue of fundamental historical importance.