THE HAGUE, the Netherlands – On June 4, 2026, the parliamentary delegations of Sint Maarten, Aruba and Curaçao reached a joint Resolution during their Tripartite Consultation. In this Resolution, the three delegations express their disagreement with the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ decision to abstain from voting last March on a United Nations resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans and slavery as the gravest crime against humanity.
The delegations regret that the Kingdom of the Netherlands adopted its position on this issue without prior consultation with the three Caribbean countries within the Kingdom, despite the direct historical, social, and moral significance of the matter for the countries and their peoples.
For this reason, the Resolution emphasizes that this lack of consultation once again demonstrates a structural “democratic deficit” within the Kingdom, particularly in foreign affairs matters that directly affect the Caribbean countries, and it request that the delegation of the States-General at the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) brings this Resolution to the attention of the Kingdom Government with the request to provide a written motivated response within three months.
During the IPKO in The Hague that commenced on June 5, 2026, the three delegations, through their Presidents of Parliament, Mrs. Sarah Wescot-Williams (Sint Maarten), Mr. Alfred Sneek (Aruba), and Mr. Fergino Brownbill (Curaçao), presented this Resolution to the delegation of the States-General of the Netherlands (First and Second Chamber).
Note to readers: click HERE for the signed Resolution
