The Inter Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) is a meeting that takes place twice a year where delegations from the Parliaments of the four countries within the Kingdom meet and discuss a number of issues such as energy, health care, integrity, education, etc. The meeting in January is always hosted by one of the Caribbean countries of the Kingdom whilst the meeting in June is hosted by the Netherlands.
The intention of these meetings is to discuss issues that are of common interest or affect the populations of the countries in one way or the other. In addition to that it is a good opportunity for the parliamentarians to meet their peers from the other countries to establish that personal contact. Preparations for these meetings start sometimes months in advance and technologies like video conferencing are used for such.
At the end of each IPKO, a list of agreements is signed by the delegation leader of each delegation. Throughout the year the execution of the agreements made are monitored by each country.
The three Caribbean countries of the Kingdom, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, meet every so often in a Tripartite meeting to discuss issues of common interest. These meetings can be held in any of the three countries. Most recently the Tripartite agreed to meet four (4) times per year, three (3) times in person and one (1) time virtually.
The Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino) is a regional inter-parliamentary organization which serves as a consultative assembly comprising national parliamentarians from 23 member countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. The institution’s headquarters is located in Panama City, Panama. Parlatino’s primary objectives include promoting human rights, fostering economic and social development, and enhancing regional integration. The Committees of Parlatino, to which Members of Parliament can be a member, meet every so often per year in Panama or in one of the countries that are member of Parlatino.
Sint Maarten became a member of Parlatino in 2010. This membership allows Sint Maarten and its Parliament to participate in regional legislative discussions and initiatives, contributing to the broader goals of regional integration and cooperation within Latin America and the Caribbean.
Contact Plan
In February 2019 a delegation from the Parliament of Sint Maarten traveled to Suriname to participate in parliamentary discussions between delegations from Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Suriname. One of the main topics on the agenda was the restart of the Contact Plan. At the end of these consultations not only a final declaration was signed, but also a draft Contact Plan in which the consultations are rekindled. Both documents were ratified by the Parliament of Sint Maarten on May 14, 2019. It is the intention that these meetings are held in any of the four countries at least once a year, in the second quarter of the year.
