THE HAGUE – Curaçao’s demand to be consulted before the Kingdom of the Netherlands takes international positions affecting the island has gained significant support in The Hague, where the House of Representatives’ Committee for Kingdom Relations is now demanding action from the Dutch cabinet.
The development comes only days after Curaçao Parliament unanimously backed a motion condemning the Kingdom’s handling of a United Nations vote on transatlantic slavery and calling for mandatory consultation in future international decisions.
The motion was approved by all 15 Members of Parliament present. Curaçao Parliament argued that the island should be consulted before the Kingdom adopts positions at the United Nations, other international organizations or toward other countries on matters affecting Curaçao.
The controversy dates back to March 25, when the United Nations voted on a resolution addressing the trafficking of enslaved Africans and slavery. The Kingdom abstained, along with dozens of other countries.
The decision immediately raised questions in the Netherlands as well. Two days after the vote, Dutch MPs Mpanzu Bamenga and Heera Dijk of D66 submitted parliamentary questions asking the government to explain why the Kingdom abstained, particularly in light of the Dutch state’s 2022 apology for its role in the history of slavery.
For Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten, however, the controversy was not limited to how the Kingdom voted. Their central objection was that they had not been consulted before the position was determined.
In June, parliamentary delegations from the three Caribbean countries joined forces during their tripartite consultation in The Hague. They formally expressed their disagreement with the abstention and argued that decisions on issues with direct historical, social and moral significance for their populations should not be made without their involvement.
That joint Caribbean position has now reached the Dutch House of Representatives. On September 9, the Committee for Kingdom Relations formally requested a cabinet response concerning the resolution submitted by Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
According to information accompanying the request, the committee wants State Secretary Eric van der Burg to respond urgently and come forward with a concrete proposal to restore the procedures through which the Caribbean countries are consulted.
The development strengthens the position adopted by Curaçao Parliament earlier this week. Its motion does not merely criticize the March vote but calls for structural agreements governing how Curaçao is involved when the Kingdom determines foreign-policy positions that directly concern the island.
The dispute touches on a longstanding constitutional issue within the Kingdom. Foreign affairs are a Kingdom responsibility, but Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten are autonomous countries whose interests can be directly affected by decisions made internationally on behalf of the Kingdom.
The Caribbean parliamentary delegations have argued that excluding them from such decisions contributes to what they describe as the Kingdom’s “democratic deficit.” An expert group is already examining that broader issue, with its findings expected to feed into future discussions between the four countries.
The pressure from the Dutch parliamentary committee could now turn the slavery-resolution controversy into a broader reform of consultation between The Hague and the Caribbean countries.
For Curaçao, the central question is no longer only why it was excluded from the March decision. The issue now before the Kingdom is whether new rules will ensure that it cannot happen again.