PHILIPSBURG:--- On August 23 - 25, 2021, a delegation from the Parliament of Sint Maarten will participate in the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultations (IPKO), on Bonaire, Dutch Caribbean with the Netherlands as the host country. Delegations from the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, and the Netherlands will also be participating.
The IPKO meetings will commence on Monday, August 23, 2021, at 13.30 hrs. with opening remarks by the Chairperson, followed by words of welcome by the Island Governor of Bonaire.
The four parliamentary delegations will be discussing a number of topics that include presentations on recent developments per country; feedback on recent elections in the Netherlands, Curaçao, and Aruba, better and lasting relationships within the Kingdom, advancement of cooperation /the implementation of the countries packages, and progress and challenges in the different countries concerning four SDGs related to climate and sustainability. The program also includes a working visit to Washington Slagbaai National Park.
The delegation of Sint Maarten has been preparing for the last few weeks for its participation in these meetings. The Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations requested the necessary information from the Government in writing and subsequently met with the Government to further discuss. The Committee also met alone to discuss the topics and to establish the position of the Sint Maarten delegation on several topics.
The Interparliamentary consultations will conclude on Wednesday, August 25, 2021, with the signing of an agreement list and a joint press conference of the four delegations.
On Sunday, August 22, 2021, the delegation participated in a Tripartite meeting with delegations from the Parliaments of Aruba and Curaçao. Among the topics discussed were the Dispute Regulation, the COHO and the Country Packages, and the draft Criminal Procedure Code.
The Sint Maarten delegation partaking in the IPKO and Tripartite meetings consist of the following members:
Mr. William V. Marlin, Vice Chairman of Parliament, Chairman Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations & Delegation Leader;
Mrs. Grisha S. Heyliger-Marten;
Ms. Melissa D. Gumbs; and
Mr. Garrick J. Richardson, LL.M., ML, Secretary-General.
The plenary sessions of the IPKO can be followed live via the following link:
youtube.com/channel/UCKhNQfhalzbDvt7qHHquj7A/live
