Anguilla and St. Maarten Parliaments move toward MOU following caribbean AI workshop

ANGUILLA--The Parliaments of Anguilla and St. Maarten have expressed their intention to develop a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two legislatures, following a bilateral meeting held on the margins of the Caribbean AI Workshop in Anguilla.

The meeting took place between the Honourable Tara Carter, Speaker of the Anguilla House of Assembly, and the Honourable Sarah Wescot-Williams, Speaker of the Parliament of St. Maarten. The proposed agreement is expected to focus on knowledge sharing, cross-border parliamentary training and youth exchanges between the Youth Parliaments of both territories.

If finalized, the MOU would mark the first formal collaboration of its kind between the two legislatures, creating a new framework for parliamentary cooperation between Anguilla and St. Maarten.

The bilateral engagement formed part of the wider Caribbean AI Workshop, hosted by the Anguilla House of Assembly in collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications, Utilities, Housing, Information Technology and E-Government Services from June 21 to 24, 2026.

The workshop was delivered in partnership with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK and UNESCO, with support from ParlAmericas. It brought together parliamentarians and partners from Anguilla, St. Maarten, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the United Kingdom Parliament.

Over four days, delegates participated in expert-led sessions, peer exchanges and practical exercises focused on artificial intelligence, parliamentary innovation, digital transformation and responsible governance. Discussions included the use of AI in parliamentary work, institutional readiness, ethical governance frameworks, cybersecurity, misinformation, data governance and regional cooperation.

Anguilla, home of the “.ai” domain and a jurisdiction advancing the use of technology in parliamentary democracy through initiatives such as its AI-powered Hansard system, was described as a fitting host for the regional gathering.

The workshop was formally opened with keynote remarks from Speaker Carter and the Honourable José Vanterpool, Minister of Infrastructure, Communications, Utilities, Housing, Information Technology and E-Government Services. Both officials emphasized Anguilla’s commitment to collaboration, innovation and responsible digital leadership.

“This workshop demonstrates that small jurisdictions can drive big innovations,” said Speaker Carter. “We were honoured to welcome our regional and international partners to Anguilla, and we hope to establish this gathering as an annual event, creating a lasting platform for the Caribbean to shape, rather than simply respond to, the future of this transformative technology.”

The Anguilla House of Assembly and MICUHITES extended thanks to CPA UK, UNESCO, ParlAmericas, visiting delegations, speakers and partners for their contributions to the success of the inaugural Caribbean AI Workshop.

The gathering closed with a strong message of regional cooperation and positioned the Caribbean as an active voice in the global conversation on artificial intelligence, parliamentary innovation and responsible digital governance.

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