SURINAME-Petition on reparation handed over to the government ahead of the visit of the Netherlands royal family.

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC – The Suriname Committee for the Reparation of Slavery Past (Committee) has presented a petition to the government, requesting a structured discussion on recognition, apologies, and reparation in the lead-up to the state visit of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Queen Máxima.

The royal couple is due here from December 1–3.

The petition was presented to acting President Gregory Rusland, who said that he “fully” understood the Committee’s efforts and called the topic “of great importance” to the government.

He said he would discuss the petition with President Jennifer Greelings-Simons on her return from Brazil, where she is attending the 30th United Nations climate conference (COP 30).

Rusalnd said that President Greelings-Simons is open to discussions with relevant organisations about their positions on recognition, reparation, and restoration.

The petition, supported by descendants of enslaved Africans and representatives of indigenous communities, notes that the settlement of the Dutch slavery case can no longer be postponed. The Committee wants a single, joint approach to material and immaterial damage, in line with the CARICOM Ten-Point Plan. It refers to international frameworks such as the UN Declaration on the Durban Platform for Action (2001) and the Basic Principles on Reparation (UN, 2005).

The Committee says reparation is more than financial compensation, encompassing restitution, rehabilitation, truth-finding, guarantees of non-recurrence, and structural development of affected communities.

The signatories to the petition state that concrete reparations have not yet followed the recognition and apologies expressed in the Netherlands in recent years.

Chairman of the Committee, Armand Zunder, said the group is asking the government to ensure that representatives of descendants and indigenous peoples are included in the Committee preparing for the royal visit.

Furthermore, the Committee requests an official meeting with the King during the visit to discuss possibilities for reparations, as well as a formal event in Suriname at which the King publicly reiterates the apology he issued in 2023.
According to the Committee, the royal visit is an “excellent opportunity” to formally open a discussion on reparations.

The petition notes that the participation of the affected communities is essential to make reparations “effective and adequate” and to strengthen trust.

The petition is the result of meetings on October 11 and November 1 this year, during which the Committee said it has developed a reparations programme and agreed to speak “with one voice” to stakeholders.

The petition points to previous apologies in the Netherlands by the government there in 2022, followed a year later by the royal family, various municipalities, banks, and churches, noting, however, that compensatory or structural measures for the descendants in Suriname did not follow these apologies.

According to the Committee, “apologies without reparations” are insufficient and that follow-up actions are needed with a measurable impact on the lives of the communities involved.