As the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) kicked off on April 15, 2026 in Istanbul, Türkiye, the small Caribbean federation of St. Kitts and Nevis brought frontline climate perspectives to the global parliamentary stage, with Deputy Premier of Nevis and Member of Parliament Eric Evelyn leading the nation’s delegation.
The five-day gathering, running through April 19, brings together more than 1,000 parliamentary delegates from over 150 nations, including more than 650 sitting members of parliament and dozens of parliamentary speakers. Founded as the world’s largest inclusive multilateral forum for legislative representatives, the IPU currently counts 183 member parliaments across every inhabited continent, creating space for cross-border dialogue on shared threats from climate change to geopolitical instability, and working to strengthen collaborative global governance.
Against a backdrop of persistent global geopolitical tension and widespread socioeconomic inequality, this year’s assembly centers its general debate on a timely question: how legislative bodies can foster collective hope, and advance lasting peace and equitable justice for coming generations. Beyond plenary discussions, delegates will deliberate on two landmark resolutions set to guide global parliamentary action in the coming years. The first, put forward by the IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security, examines parliaments’ critical role in building robust, inclusive post-conflict management frameworks to support sustained stability in fragile regions. The second, led by the Standing Committee on Sustainable Development, focuses on forging a fairer, more resilient global economy through strengthened cross-border cooperation on taxation and trade policy—an issue of outsized importance to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like St. Kitts and Nevis, which face unique economic vulnerabilities in the global trading system.
A key highlight of Evelyn’s participation at the assembly sees him take on the role of moderator for a dedicated high-level workshop focused on ocean conservation and climate action, titled “Parliamentary leadership in protecting our blue planet.” The session will center on urgent, underaddressed global challenges: accelerating sea level rise that threatens to displace coastal and island communities, the ongoing decline of vulnerable marine biodiversity, and the preservation of critical coastal ecosystems that buffer communities from climate disasters and support local livelihoods.
For St. Kitts and Nevis, a low-lying island nation already grappling with the tangible, daily impacts of climate change, Evelyn’s leadership of this workshop brings much-needed visibility to the perspectives of SIDS, which are often disproportionately affected by climate change despite contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions. The delegation’s presence at the 152nd IPU Assembly underscores St. Kitts and Nevis’s longstanding commitment to active engagement in global multilateral dialogue, and its dedication to advancing priorities that matter to both the federation and the wider Caribbean region on the international stage.