Bonaire Human Rights Organization presses island grievances to UN Rights Committee

GENEVA--The Bonaire Human Rights Organization (BHRO), led by James Finies, will present to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Geneva, during the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ review. BHRO will raise concerns about poverty, inadequate housing, labor rights, and social protections affecting residents of Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius, Curaçao, Aruba, and St. Maarten, and will press the Netherlands on compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

BHRO’s submission is rooted in the Covenant’s core guarantees: the right of all peoples to self-determination, and the obligation of states to protect economic, social, and cultural rights without discrimination. The organization will highlight systemic inequities in cultural rights, including protection of Papiamentu and local identity, disparities in access to health care, and barriers to equal, culturally grounded education.

The review occurs amid long-standing democratic grievances. After the 2010 dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, the islands were integrated into the Dutch constitutional order without popular consent. In 2015, 66 percent of Bonaire voters rejected the imposed status, yet the decision was not implemented. BHRO argues that residents of Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius face conditions that would not be accepted in the European Netherlands, and calls for equal standards, respect for UN treaties, and recognition of the right to self-determination.

BHRO will also engage the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, September 8 to October 8, 2025, to situate Dutch Caribbean issues within the UN’s unfinished decolonization mandate. Through these interventions, BHRO seeks to ensure island voices are heard, and to press the Netherlands to uphold civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, as well as the democratic will and dignity of the Caribbean peoples within the Kingdom.

The Netherlands Institute for Human Rights has raised serious concerns about structural inequalities facing residents of Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius in a written submission to the 78th Session of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). The Committee will review the Netherlands’ compliance with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) during its upcoming session.

The Institute, established in 2012 as the Netherlands’ national human rights body with A-status accreditation, underscored that its mandate extends to the Caribbean Netherlands, which has been part of the Dutch constitutional order since 2010. Despite this status, the Institute reported that the protection of Covenant rights in the Caribbean Netherlands continues to lag behind the European Netherlands, particularly in the areas of social security, poverty alleviation, housing, and environmental rights.

Climate and Environmental Rights

The submission highlights the slow pace of establishing rights-based climate and environmental frameworks in the Caribbean Netherlands. While the Government acknowledges the islands’ heightened vulnerability, island-specific climate plans remain under development and fail to provide equal protection to that of the European Netherlands. Long-standing challenges such as inadequate waste management, particularly on Bonaire, persist. The Institute posed a key question to the Dutch Government: “How will the Government ensure equal and adequate protection of environmental rights in the Caribbean Netherlands, both in law and practice?”

Social Security Inequalities

The Institute drew attention to the absence of key social security benefits in the Caribbean Netherlands that are available in the European Netherlands, including child-related budgets and unemployment benefits. This gap particularly impacts disabled persons and low-income families, increasing financial vulnerability and perpetuating poverty. It urged the Committee to ask: “What steps is the Government taking to guarantee adequate access to social security measures in the Caribbean Netherlands and to address the structural disparities in social security provisions between the European and Caribbean Netherlands?”

Persistent Poverty and Housing Challenges

Despite the introduction of a minimum income threshold in 2024 and a corresponding increase in the minimum wage, the Institute reported that a decent standard of living is still out of reach for many households in the Caribbean Netherlands. Elevated costs for food, utilities, housing, transportation, and education continue to burden families.

The Institute also emphasized the shortage of affordable and social housing. Low-income households are often pushed into the private rental market, facing high housing costs with limited subsidy support. While pilot programs have tested rental assistance in Bonaire, similar support is not yet available in Saba or St. Eustatius. Moreover, essential legal safeguards such as rent assessment committees, common in the European Netherlands, do not exist on Saba or St. Eustatius, leaving tenants without effective recourse.

The Institute pressed the Dutch Government to answer:

“How does the Government plan to ensure that the newly established poverty threshold leads to concrete and measurable improvements in living conditions across all three islands?”

“What actions will the Government take to reach the social housing building goals it has set up, given the delays already experienced?”

“What actions will the Government take to implement structural access to housing subsidies for low-income families renting in the private sector?”

Structural Inequality Across the Kingdom

The submission makes clear that while some positive policy steps have been introduced, structural disparities remain entrenched between the European and Caribbean Netherlands. Without harmonized protections, equal access to social rights for residents of Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius remains elusive.

The review of the Netherlands by CESCR is expected to generate pressing questions for the Dutch Government on how it intends to close these gaps and ensure the full and equal realization of economic, social, and cultural rights across all parts of the Kingdom.

Photo caption: James Finies