St. Maarten's Riddhi Samtani joins counterparts in request to place climate adaptation on IPKO agenda

ARUBA--St. Maarten youth representative Riddhi Samtani, together with Oriana Wouters of Aruba and Terence Ching of Curaçao, has formally asked the parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten to place climate adaptation on the agenda of the upcoming Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO), scheduled for February 17, 2026, in Aruba. They also requested speaking time of 5 to 10 minutes.  

The request is contained in a letter dated January 23, 2026, submitted to Mr. M. Sneek (Chairman of the States of Aruba), Mr. F. Brownbill (Chairman of the States of Curaçao), and Mrs. S. Wescot-Williams (Chairwoman of the Parliament of St. Maarten). It is also directed to Mr. E. Vrolijk, Chair of Aruba’s Standing Committee on Kingdom Relations, as well as the Kingdom Relations committees and parliamentary clerks in the three countries.

Representing young people from all six Caribbean islands and the Caribbean community in the Netherlands, the delegation is requesting two specific actions for IPKO 2026 in Aruba:

1. Include climate adaptation, including the impact of recent jurisprudence related to the Bonaire climate case, as a standing agenda item for IPKO on February 17, 2026.

2. Provide one youth representative, named in the letter as Oriana Wouters, with 5 to 10 minutes to address delegations at the opening of that agenda item and present the local youth vision directly.

The letter frames climate adaptation as an urgent Kingdom-wide issue, linking the climate crisis to the fundamental rights of residents in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. It argues that while European Netherlands has legal and structural frameworks, the islands lack comparable safeguards, and the Kingdom’s international positioning limits direct access by Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten to certain major international climate funds.

A footnote in the document also references international commitments to expand climate adaptation financing and notes that the constitutional position of the Caribbean countries within the Kingdom affects direct access to specific funds available to Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The youth delegation points to the Bonaire climate case, filed by eight residents together with Greenpeace against the Dutch State, and notes that a verdict expected on January 28 is described as significant for the entire Kingdom. The letter highlights that one of the case’s core demands relates not only to the creation of a climate adaptation plan, but also to the requirement that such a plan be developed in close consultation with local residents.

In that context, the letter references the Kingdom’s safeguard function under Article 43 of the Charter, while stressing local say and self-determination.

The letter states that the islands already have significant local expertise, including scientific and community-based work that can be translated into locally appropriate solutions. It cites initiatives such as the Feelin’ Hot Tool as evidence that knowledge and innovation exist, while arguing that structural embedding and cooperation across the Kingdom remain insufficient.

The delegation proposes a model where the Netherlands facilitates and the Caribbean countries maintain direction, referencing mutual assistance within the Kingdom framework under Article 36 of the Charter.

The letter describes IPKO as the appropriate platform for reaching agreements on shared responsibility across the Kingdom, and asks for a timely response ahead of the February meeting in Aruba.

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