MP Wescot-Williams asked by IPKO colleagues to help strengthen the consultation’s impact

ORANJESTAD, Aruba--Leader of the St. Maarten parliamentary delegation and President of Parliament, MP Sarah Wescot-Williams, confirmed at the closing IPKO press conference in Aruba that she has been asked by fellow IPKO colleagues to help shape proposals to improve how the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation functions. Wescot-Williams said she will treat the request with seriousness, with the goal of having practical changes applied by the next IPKO.

She linked that assignment to a wider concern that the consultation’s potential is not always fully used, even though IPKO remains the closest platform available for the four parliaments of the Kingdom to consult and speak directly with each other in the absence of a formal Kingdom Parliament.

Wescot-Williams thanked participants for what she described as valuable exchanges, not only in the meetings but also in informal conversations where concerns, views, and opinions were shared across delegations. She urged members, including those newly participating, to recognize the purpose of IPKO and to approach the platform for what it can become in terms of impact and relevance.

Referencing past experiences, she pointed to dispute regulation as an example of where the four parliaments have previously been able to act together, but where progress later stalled. She said the issue illustrates the risk of leaving decisions unfinished, and expressed hope that dispute regulation can be brought back on track, whether through IPKO directly or through renewed political momentum.

She also argued that, over the years, delegations have sometimes avoided direct debate on issues that should be confronted openly across all countries. Differences of opinion, she said, should not be a reason to let items slide, but a reason to engage more directly, clarify positions, and push discussions forward.

Wescot-Williams called on delegations to do more with the presentations and agenda items brought to IPKO, emphasizing that the topics are placed on the agenda for a reason and should translate into follow-up and action. She highlighted security and safety, cybersecurity, the aging of populations, and climate adaptation, noting that rapidly changing geopolitical conditions continue to generate new pressures for the Kingdom.

She reiterated her view that structured follow-up must be strengthened, including the practice of reviewing prior agreements at the start of each IPKO so that commitments are not left “hanging.” She cited earlier discussions on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals as areas where momentum had once been present but later fell away, and warned against allowing sensitive or contested items to be quietly set aside without a plan to return to them.

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