MPs during the meeting.
PHILIPSBURG--Parliament on Thursday unanimously adopted the Declaration of the Parliamentary Alliance for Climate Action and a Just Transition, formally committing to regional and global parliamentary cooperation on climate action.
The Declaration was considered and ratified during a public meeting of Parliament. During the meeting, President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams said the document now requires closer examination by Members of Parliament to determine priorities and direction.
“There isn’t everything in the declaration that would need our attention now, so we will have to dissect the declaration and see what is most important for St. Maarten and decide as a Parliament the path to take to achieve what Parliament wants to achieve,” Wescot-Williams said.
Earlier this year, on June 4 and 5, 2025, the President of Parliament participated in a political dialogue in Panama with representatives from parliaments across Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Other Members of the Parliament of Sint Maarten were also present. During that dialogue, the President formally endorsed the Declaration on behalf of Parliament, confirming Sint Maarten’s membership in the Parliamentary Alliance for Climate Action and a Just Transition via Parlatino
The Declaration, described as a foundational document of the Parliamentary Alliance for Climate Action and a Just Transition, seeks to contribute to addressing and mitigating the adverse effects of climate change and to advancing a just transition in the Global South.
The urgent challenges related to climate action and just transition can only be addressed through the effective and energetic participation of parliaments and inter-parliamentary institutions, exercised through their core functions of legislation, oversight, and representation. They further stated their readiness to undertake the necessary tasks and to promote the active participation of all branches of government, institutions, the private sector, and organised civil society.
Members also declared that legislatures must act as guarantors of national and international climate commitments, defenders of human rights and civic space, and key actors in promoting a just transition that leaves no one behind, particularly Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant communities, rural communities, and women.
Through the Declaration, Members established the Parliamentary Alliance for Climate Action and a Just Transition as a permanent forum for dialogue, coordination, and parliamentary cooperation at the global level. The Alliance aims to strengthen legislative action in response to the climate emergency, promote a just energy transition, and defend democracy, human rights, and sustainable development.
The commitments outlined include promoting legislation on energy transition, decent green work, accessible and equitable climate finance, the rights of vulnerable communities, and green technologies, while ensuring a low-carbon transition centred on social justice and aligned with the Paris Agreement and its first Global Stocktake. Members also committed to promoting the active participation of parliamentarians in international climate forums, particularly within the UNFCCC and the COPs, and to supporting the elevation of the current Informal Parliamentary Group to a formal constituency within the UNFCCC process.
The Declaration will be further analysed by Parliament and forwarded to the Government for consideration and response.
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/parliament-unanimously-adopts-climate-action-declaration
