SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) The House of Parliament will sit in a Public meeting on May 15, 2025.

The Public meeting, which was adjourned on May 8, 2025, in the first round, will be reconvened on Thursday at 14.00 hrs. in the Legislative Hall at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Minister of Finance will be in attendance.

The agenda point is:

Update from the Minister of Finance on the technical issues delaying the ratification and publication of the 2025 National Budget (IS/655/2024-2025 dated February 27, 2025)

This meeting was requested by MP E.J. Doran, MP D.T.J. York, MP A.M.R. Irion, MP O.E.C. Ottley, MP F.A. Lacroes and MP L.C.J. Lewis

The Minister of Finance will be returning to Parliament to provide the answers to the questions posed by the Members of Parliament in the first round, including any additional questions pose during the meeting.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. All persons visiting the House of Parliament must adhere to the house rules.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg. 

The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on TV 15, Soualiga Headlines, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.youtube.com/c/SintMaartenParliament and www.pearlfmradio.sx

SINT MAARTEN/CURACAO - Growing geopolitical conflict, global trade and financial market volatility, and cybercrime posed major risks to financial stability during 2024 and into 2025. At the same time, the financial sector of the monetary union remained on solid standing.

The President of the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS), Richard Doornbosch, remains cautiously positive in response to heightened global uncertainty, as stated in the CBCS’s 2025 Financial Stability Report (FSR).

The 2025 FSR covers forty-seven local financial institutions (banks, insurance institutions, and pension funds) operating in the monetary union. Together, these institutions manage total assets of around Cg 28 billion—more than three times the monetary union’s GDP.

Financial institutions saw a strong year in terms of fixed-income assets. At the same time, the financial sector was able to benefit substantially from the tourism-boosted economic growth in Curaçao.

Economic growth is expected to remain positive in 2025, while uncertainty in global markets and slower tourism activity may pose headwinds. Prospects of inflation triggered by US trade policies and a possible economic downturn in major economies can transmit to the financial sectors in Curaçao and Sint Maarten directly or indirectly, through several channels.

The US tariffs and trade wars may impact inflation and growth in foreign markets that are key to our expanding tourism industry. As geopolitical risk grows, the CBCS accentuates the need to keep sufficient safeguards in place.

Overall, the banking sector recorded a positive year in 2024, with stable performance across key financial soundness indicators. Strong capital and liquidity positions provide a solid foundation for banks to absorb potential shocks.

Asset quality improved as nonperforming loans declined, although overdue loans warrant close monitoring. While profitability increased, credit risk remains a concern which may necessitate additional provisions. Institutional investors showed a stable performance overall.

Life insurers and pension funds benefited from strong investment results in 2023, while non-life insurers remained resilient despite rising costs. Both sectors are in a strong position to face the upcoming challenges.

Non-life insurers remain vigilant of tightening global reinsurance conditions and inflation-related expenses. Life insurers and pension funds face risks stemming from volatility in global markets.

Pension funds also remain vulnerable to challenges related to ageing population and rising longevity. With the FSR, the CBCS aims to inform stakeholders and the public about the state of the financial system in the monetary union of Curaçao and Sint Maarten.

The report quantifies exposures, presents stress scenarios, and identifies the main risks to financial stability and their transmission channels. As we navigate this period of heightened uncertainty, it is essential for financial institutions in Curaçao and Sint Maarten to remain proactive and forward-thinking.

Together, we work to ensure long-term stability and resilience in an increasingly complex global landscape.

The complete text of the 2025 Financial Stability Report is available on the CBCS website at: https://www.centralbank.cw/publications/financial-stability-reports/2025.

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