SINT MAARTEN — The Sint Maarten Institute for Public Policy Studies (SIPPS) will host a major public dialogue on Wednesday, August 12, at PMIA Hall, Backstreet, beginning promptly at 7:00 p.m. The event is supported by the Slavery Memorial Committee.
SIPPS, established to foster a more informed, critically engaged, and socially responsible Sint Maarten society, recognizes the accelerating global momentum around decolonization and reparatory justice. To include:
- On March 25, the Netherlands abstained during the United Nations General Assembly vote on Resolution A/80/L.48, which sought to classify slavery and the Trans‑Atlantic slave trade among the gravest crimes against humanity.
- On May 28, the French National Assembly unanimously repealed all remaining decrees, laws, and regulations that once governed enslavement on the French side of Saint Martin.
- Ongoing UN remedial initiatives continue to call for deeper collaboration between governments, former colonizing powers, and formerly colonized peoples.
Together, and on the heels of celebrating Emancipation Day on July 1, 2026, these actions highlight the critical need for open, informed public dialogue in Sint Maarten.
The upcoming forum will examine the historical and social foundations of Dutch‑colonial enslavement on Sint Maarten and explore pathways toward a sustainable reparatory justice framework. The program will open with position papers presented by secondary school students, followed by a brief overview of enslavement on the French side and a deeper analysis of the Dutch colonial experience—its structures, legacies, and continuing impact on contemporary society.
SIPPS invites and encourages all members of the public to attend this important conversation on colonial enslavement heritage, emancipation, and the pursuit of a just and sustainable way forward. Knowledge is power.
