ORANJESTAD – During the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) held in Aruba from February 19 to 21, 2026, participating delegations reconfirmed a series of procedural and governance agreements that define how the consultation operates and how decisions are recorded.
At the Presidium meeting on February 21, it was reaffirmed that the Presidium consists of the parliamentary chairs of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, as well as committee chairs and clerks. The Netherlands does not participate at chair level in the Presidium. The chairs of the Caribbean parliaments and the committee chairs of the Dutch parliament act as delegation leaders and are responsible for signing the final agreements list.
It was further agreed that committee chairs serve as official spokespersons for their delegations. However, during substantive discussions, multiple members of each delegation are permitted to take the floor. Both the committee chairs and the parliamentary chairs participate in the closing press conference.
The agreements also clarify how dissenting views are handled. If a delegation holds a differing position, this must be explicitly mentioned in the agreements list, with a separate written explanation included in an annex. These annexes do not formally form part of the agreements list. Divergent views must be shared in writing with other delegations before the press conference. Internal disagreements within a delegation are not recorded.
The rules underline the importance of procedural clarity and transparency within IPKO, reinforcing its role as a structured forum for parliamentary dialogue within the Kingdom.