THE HAGUE - Dutch Members of Parliament Jorien Wuite (D66) and Laura Bromet (GroenLinks) have asked written questions to Undersecretary of Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops about the sharp criticism of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in the way the Netherlands interacts with its residents of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
The committee notes, among other things, that the conditions that The Hague sets for corona loans are disadvantageous for citizens.
The MPs ask if the undersecretary is familiar with the combined 22nd/23rd/24th periodic report of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The MPs also want to know what the reaction is of the undersecretary to the criticism that the UN committee expresses about the conditions that the Netherlands sets for corona support to Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten and that these are detrimental to the islands.
They also ask if the undersecretary is prepared to take the concerns of the committee into account when allocating subsequent tranches.
Another question was what Knop’s response will be to the recommendation to take measures against discrimination against Caribbean Dutch citizens and to promote equal treatment between European and Caribbean Dutch citizens.
The MPs also want to know what the undersecretary’s response is to the recommendation to promote dialogue and ensure that residents of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom have a say in decision-making processes on matters that concern them, such as Kingdom laws.
Also, to what extent does the undersecretary agree with the Committee's observation that climate change is putting pressure on the human rights of the most vulnerable people in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom.
The undersecretary has to explain to what extent does he believe that a Kingdom-wide climate fund should make resources available to make investments in climate adaptation and against climate change in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom.
The two MPs asked if Knops agree that the Statute does not need to be reformed. If so, the MPs want to know how does this relate to the implementation of the motion by Raak et al. to further specify tasks and responsibilities to each country in the kingdom.
Finally, the Dutch MPs want to know what the undersecretary’s view is on the Commission's position that the process of decolonization is not yet complete.