St. Martin News – The next Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (Ipko) will be held from May 31 to June 3 in The Hague. The dispute regulation will again feature prominently on the agenda, but the delegations will also deal with a thorny issue they did not get around to debate this time: the use of articles from the governor’s regulation by the Kingdom Council of Ministers to issue instructions to the autonomous countries in the Caribbean. St. Maarten. Aruba and Curacao have all been at the receiving end of this instrument.
The Ipko closed yesterday with the signing of the list of agreements. In the field of healthcare, the delegations decided to look into fast access to promising medication for terminal patients during the next Ipko in June.
The Dutch delegation has promised to bring transportation issues for patients from Saba and Statia to St. Maarten to the government’s attention. The delegations support specialization within the hospitals in Curacao, Aruba and St. Maarten.
A separate working group will take on the issue of climate change and its consequences for the countries in the kingdom. Climate change will be a separate agenda point at the next Ipko.
St. Maarten will gather information about flight connections between the Windward Islands. Landing rights for companies that want to fly from Statia to St. Maarten will get special attention. The high cost of plane tickets also has the attention of the Ipko.
The fast ferry connections between Aruba Curacao and Bonaire, and between St. Maarten, Saba and Statia are also on the wish list. These connections could offer a new dimension for inter-island traffic and give an impulse to economic development.
The Ipko recommends an investigation into the possibility of lower roaming coasts in the Caribbean part of the kingdom.
During the next Ipko the delegations will discuss study debts and studying in the region.
Reports will be made about the actual implementation of plans for the protection of children’s rights. Priorities in this field have been identified as the prevention and combat of youth unemployment, youth criminality, rehabilitation and anchoring a ban on violence against children in the law.
The working group discrimination will focus on equal treatment. Discrimination will be again on the agenda for the Ipko in June.
Use of governor’s regulation on next Ipko agenda in May
