SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The organizers of the upcoming Labor Symposium, taking place from May 13 to 15, 2025, at Port St. Maarten, extend sincere thanks to all registered participants for their enthusiasm and commitment. 

This important three-day event will bring together key stakeholders to discuss the future of labor and employment in Sint Maarten. Your active participation is not only appreciated; it is essential to the symposium's success. 

In light of increased security protocols, the following transportation arrangements have been made for all attendees: 

Morning Departures to Port St. Maarten 
Pick-Up Location: Government Administration Building 
Departure Times: 
• 7:30 AM 
• 7:45 AM 
• 8:00 AM 

Afternoon Returns from Port St. Maarten 
Drop-Off Location: Government Administration Building 
Departure Times: 
• 4:15 PM 
• 4:30 PM 
• 4:45 PM 

All attendees are kindly asked to arrive at the pick-up location at least 10 minutes before their selected departure time. Please be advised that personal vehicle parking at Port St. Maarten is not permitted during the event. 

WICSU-PSU and WITU looks forward to welcoming you and thank you once again for contributing to this critical conversation on labor development in Sint Maarten. 

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The 49^th Annual Caribbean Studies Association (CSA) Conference will be held in St. Martin at Simpson Bay Resort, June 1–7, 2025. The conference registration and hotel booking list already includes over 300 guests, ranging from A-list scholars to university graduate students.

St. Martin will share center stage in regional intellectual discourse at this major academic conference that critically explores the Caribbean’s political, historical, educational, scientific, and cultural landscapes.

“That St. Martin is hosting such an assembly—one that engages these dimensions with both critical insight and professional rigor—is powerful,” said Lasana M. Sekou, projects director at House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).

Sekou and the St. Martin book publisher HNP will be the focus of the plenary panel titled “Unshackling Memory: The Literary and Publishing Works of Lasana M. Sekou.” The session is part of the broader conference theme, “Reparations: Resistance, Resilience, Reproduction, and Rehabilitation,” according to Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, president of CSA for 2024–2025.

Coinciding with HNP’s 45^th anniversary year 2025, the panel will bring together an international group of scholars and critics to examine Sekou’s literary and book publishing contributions to St. Martin and the wider region, as well as the evolution of the island’s literature. Panelists include Dr. Dannabang Kuwabong (Ghana/University of Puerto Rico), Dr. Margaret Shrimpton Masson (Mexico/UK), Fabian Adekunle Badejo (St. Martin), and Dr. Emilio Jorge Rodríguez (Cuba).

Dr. Arrindell, a St. Martiner and faculty member at Howard University, will moderate the discussion.

“We’re inviting the St. Martin people to join CSA members at the plenary on Tuesday, June 3, from 3:30 to 5 pm in the Simpson Bay Resort ballroom,” said Arrindell. A plenary session is the part of the conference where all participants can attend and engage in discussion.

During the session, panelists, CSA members, and attendees will also get a preview of Dr. Kuwabong’s forthcoming book, Rhetoric of Resistance, Labor of Love: The Ecopoetics of Nationhood in the Poetry and Prose of Lasana M. Sekou. The book will officially launch at the St. Martin Book Fair on Friday, June 6, at the Poetry Garden of the Collectivity government building in Marigot.

“At the CSA conference, there will be six exciting plenaries. We’re encouraging the public to stop by throughout the week at the resort’s ballroom to exchange ideas, engage in discussions that have real implications for our island and St. Martin people, and meet our guests,” said Arrindell, who, as CSA president, is overseeing the plenary sessions.

In addition, the week-long event will feature more than 32 panel sessions where scholars—including academics and experts from St. Martin—will present research and position papers. Other highlights include the Book Salon and the Author Celebration, showcasing new publications by CSA members.

Arrindell and the St. Martin CSA organizing committee are planning collaborative events with the 22^nd annual St. Martin Book Fair, June 5–7, said Book Fair coordinator Shujah Reiph.

Public activities during the week will include a cultural showcase of St. Martin dance, music, and theater at the Marigot Waterfront, said Arrindell.

“The goal is for St. Martin to shine—by working together as organizations and sponsors, and by encouraging our people to participate alongside guest authors and the many visiting academics,” said Reiph.

The annual CSA congress of scholars, artists, and activists convenes each year in a different country or territory of the region. More information is available at caribbeanstudiesassociation.org

THE NETHERLANDS (THE HAGUE) – The Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten is pleased to announce the official launch of the second BESTLIFE2030 Call for Proposals, a European Union (EU) funded initiative that supports climate and biodiversity-related projects across the European Union Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), including those in the Dutch Caribbean.

Eligible applicants—including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), local authorities, community-based organizations, and research institutes—are encouraged to submit proposals addressing key areas such as:

• Biodiversity protection
• Ecosystem restoration
• Sustainable use of natural resources
• Climate adaptation and resilience

Each project may receive funding of up to EUR 100,000. The application deadline is 30 May 2025.

The Cabinet strongly encourages interested organizations in Sint Maarten to seize this opportunity to advance locally driven, nature-based solutions that directly address our climate and biodiversity challenges.

For detailed information on eligibility criteria, funding ceilings, thematic priorities, and the application process, please visit: https://bestlife2030.org/applicants/

Should you require assistance or additional information in developing your proposal, do not hesitate to contact the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary, contact person Prakaash Rostam, Senior Economic Advisor, Tel. (31) 617898704 or by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Together, let us take action for a sustainable and resilient Sint Maarten.

CURACAO/COLOMBIA - For the first time, Dutch marines are training together with Colombian colleagues on Colombian soil, the Netherlands Ministry of Defense section Caribbean military forces said in a press statement on Friday.

The joint military exercise in Turbo lasts three weeks and focuses on strengthening bilateral cooperation and exchanging operational knowledge and experience.

During the exercise, various scenarios are trained, including river operations, amphibious operations and coastal operations.

These are crucial skills within the Marine domain. By training together in the challenging training areas of Colombia, the units increase their deployability under various circumstances.

In addition to the Marines, support ship HNLMS Pelikaan also participates in the exercise. For example, the vessel is used in maritime exercises at sea and provides transport for the equipment and the units. 

“This training offers a unique opportunity to learn from each other,” says Major Rik, commander of the Marine Squadron Carib.

“We combine our knowledge, improve each other’s skills and build mutual trust.”

The Colombian side is also positive about the cooperation and the exercise. 

The exercise is a concrete step in the military partnership between the Netherlands and Colombia. A valuable step in the cooperation in the field of security, training and operational readiness. This ensures the delivery of peace and security in the Caribbean Region.