From January 9-11, 2018 delegations from the Parliaments of the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten will be meeting in Aruba for the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultations (IPKO).
The four parliamentary delegations will be discussing a number of topics that include Small Islands Developing States, consequences of hurricane Irma on Sint Maarten, situation in Venezuela, sustainable penitentiary institutions, Sustainable Development Goals and sustainable energy. The program also includes work visits to the electricity and water company WEB, Aruba Microalgae Pilot Plan and the Dr. Horacio E. Oduber Hospital.
The Interparliamentary consultations will conclude on Thursday, January 11, 2018 with a joint press conference of the four delegations and the signing of the Agreement list.
On behalf of the delegation of Sint Maarten, the Chairman of the Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations, MP Perry Geerlings, will be giving a presentation titled: “Aftermath and effects of hurricane Irma on Sint Maarten” on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 at 11 am. This presentation will focus on the damage caused by hurricane Irma as well as the economic, medical, social, financial, political and environmental impact the storm had on our society.
The topics on the agenda of this IPKO couldn’t be more timely and appropriate seeing the ongoing discussions on the global stage on climate change and the Paris Climate Agreement, global warming, CO 2 emission and its effects on Small Islands Developing States such as Sint Maarten.
The Sint Maarten delegation partaking in the IPKO meetings will consist of the following members:
MP Perry F.M. Geerlings, Chairman Committee Kingdom Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations;
MP Tamara E. Leonard;
MP drs. Rodolophe E. Samuel;
MP Frans G. Richardson;
Mrs. Nancy R. Guishard-Joubert, LL.M., Secretary General;
Mr. mr. Ralph R.H. Richardson, Advisor.
The IPKO meetings will be carried live on the website of the Parliament of Aruba: http://www.parlamento.aw/ and the Facebook page of the Parliament of Aruba: https://www.facebook.com/parlamento.aruba/.