A Quest for UN re-inscription
Donation protected
Background
The Dutch colonized the islands of the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba, and St. Maarten) in the 17th Century.
Between 1954 and 2010, the island territory of St. Eustatius formed part of the Netherlands Antilles, an arrangement in which all islands had a considerable amount of autonomy.
On October 10, 2010, the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved, in which Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius became Public Entities of the Netherlands, in spite of the fact that the residents of St. Eustatius opted to remain within the Netherlands Antilles in a referendum done prior to the dissolution
Non- Self-Governing Territories (NSGTs)
After the Second World War, the United Nations was formed. Member states all agreed that it was their obligation to assist (former) colonies in achieving self-government. Later, standards for self-government within territories controlled by other countries were created. Initially, the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles were considered Non-Self Governing Territories (NSGTs) and were therefore placed on the United Nations List of NSGTs. However, due to the creation of the Kingdom Charter in 1954, the Netherlands convinced the General Assembly (UN) that the islands had achieved self- government and were therefore removed from the UN list of NSGTs. Some argued that this was done prematurely, especially in light of the additional standards that were later created for Self-Government.
There are 17 territories currently on the United Nations list of NSGTs such as: Bermuda, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Gibraltar, the United States Virgin Islands, and French Polynesia.
These territories are deemed not self-governing for various reasons including:
● The limited to no political, social and economic equality existing between some of the territories and the countries that control them;
● The lack of respect for the (cultural) uniqueness of the people of a territory by a country that controls that particular territory;
● The unilateral imposing and amending of laws within the territory by some countries that control a particular territory in spite of objections from the people of that territory;
● Relations between countries that control the territories and the territories themselves not always being based on equality and mutual respect.
Our aim/ purpose of this go-fund-me campaign
We, the people of St.Eustatius are seeking the re-inscription of our island on the UN list of NSGTs, as we believe that St. Eustatius has regressed from a more autonomous territory (under the Netherlands Antilles) to a state of dependency on the Netherlands in its current status as a Public Entity. This conclusion has been derived from many important developments such as, the imposition of the status of Public Entity in 2010 without the consent of the people of St. Eustatius (after clear indications for an autonomous arrangement within the Dutch Kingdom during two separate referenda in 2005 and 2014, the anchoring of the Public Entity status in 2017, (this in spite of written protest from the locally elected government of St. Eustatius) and finally the imposition of direct Dutch rule in St. Eustatius in 2018 whereby the democratically elected government was replaced and substituted by a Kingdom Commissioner appointed by the Dutch Crown to execute all tasks of a locally elected government. This was done based on accusations of corruption which remain yet unproven. The appointment also signal a strong possibility of the postponement of the Island’s elections slated for March 2019.
Benefits of re-inscription are
● UN monitoring of all activities that will lead to self-government in St. Eustatius – this in accordance with the wishes of the people of St. Eustatius;
● The UN functioning as a neutral third party between St. Eustatius and the Netherlands on the issues of self-determination and self-government;
● The Netherlands being required to report annually to the UN on the manner in which it is assisting the people of St. Eustatius in attaining self- government;
● United Nations support in helping the people of St. Eustatius to strengthen resources that are required for self-government.
We seek your support in raising funds that will allow an independent expert to conduct a mandatory assessment of the governing and constitutional status of St. Eustatius. This assessment is to be submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations for review as part of the procedure for re-enlistment. Funding is also required for regional and international lobbying activities to share the plight of St.Eustatius with independent countries and garner support for the quest of St. Eustatius being brought forward to the proper UN bodies.
The Dutch colonized the islands of the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Curacao, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba, and St. Maarten) in the 17th Century.
Between 1954 and 2010, the island territory of St. Eustatius formed part of the Netherlands Antilles, an arrangement in which all islands had a considerable amount of autonomy.
On October 10, 2010, the Netherlands Antilles was dissolved, in which Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius became Public Entities of the Netherlands, in spite of the fact that the residents of St. Eustatius opted to remain within the Netherlands Antilles in a referendum done prior to the dissolution
Non- Self-Governing Territories (NSGTs)
After the Second World War, the United Nations was formed. Member states all agreed that it was their obligation to assist (former) colonies in achieving self-government. Later, standards for self-government within territories controlled by other countries were created. Initially, the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles were considered Non-Self Governing Territories (NSGTs) and were therefore placed on the United Nations List of NSGTs. However, due to the creation of the Kingdom Charter in 1954, the Netherlands convinced the General Assembly (UN) that the islands had achieved self- government and were therefore removed from the UN list of NSGTs. Some argued that this was done prematurely, especially in light of the additional standards that were later created for Self-Government.
There are 17 territories currently on the United Nations list of NSGTs such as: Bermuda, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Gibraltar, the United States Virgin Islands, and French Polynesia.
These territories are deemed not self-governing for various reasons including:
● The limited to no political, social and economic equality existing between some of the territories and the countries that control them;
● The lack of respect for the (cultural) uniqueness of the people of a territory by a country that controls that particular territory;
● The unilateral imposing and amending of laws within the territory by some countries that control a particular territory in spite of objections from the people of that territory;
● Relations between countries that control the territories and the territories themselves not always being based on equality and mutual respect.
Our aim/ purpose of this go-fund-me campaign
We, the people of St.Eustatius are seeking the re-inscription of our island on the UN list of NSGTs, as we believe that St. Eustatius has regressed from a more autonomous territory (under the Netherlands Antilles) to a state of dependency on the Netherlands in its current status as a Public Entity. This conclusion has been derived from many important developments such as, the imposition of the status of Public Entity in 2010 without the consent of the people of St. Eustatius (after clear indications for an autonomous arrangement within the Dutch Kingdom during two separate referenda in 2005 and 2014, the anchoring of the Public Entity status in 2017, (this in spite of written protest from the locally elected government of St. Eustatius) and finally the imposition of direct Dutch rule in St. Eustatius in 2018 whereby the democratically elected government was replaced and substituted by a Kingdom Commissioner appointed by the Dutch Crown to execute all tasks of a locally elected government. This was done based on accusations of corruption which remain yet unproven. The appointment also signal a strong possibility of the postponement of the Island’s elections slated for March 2019.
Benefits of re-inscription are
● UN monitoring of all activities that will lead to self-government in St. Eustatius – this in accordance with the wishes of the people of St. Eustatius;
● The UN functioning as a neutral third party between St. Eustatius and the Netherlands on the issues of self-determination and self-government;
● The Netherlands being required to report annually to the UN on the manner in which it is assisting the people of St. Eustatius in attaining self- government;
● United Nations support in helping the people of St. Eustatius to strengthen resources that are required for self-government.
We seek your support in raising funds that will allow an independent expert to conduct a mandatory assessment of the governing and constitutional status of St. Eustatius. This assessment is to be submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations for review as part of the procedure for re-enlistment. Funding is also required for regional and international lobbying activities to share the plight of St.Eustatius with independent countries and garner support for the quest of St. Eustatius being brought forward to the proper UN bodies.
Organizer
Xiomara Balentina
Organizer
