What an unforgettable two days! From Coils to Crowns marked its powerful debut as a heartfelt celebration of culture, confidence, and community, inspiring youth to embrace their heritage and wear their crowns with pride.
Hosted across Charlotte Brookson Academy, Sundial School, and Sr. Borgia Elementary School, the event brought together over 120 students in a dynamic program exploring hair heritage, self-expression, and identity. Through storytelling, performance, and creative engagement, students reflected on the beauty of natural hair, its history, and its link to our African ancestry and the deeper meaning of self-acceptance.
Organizer Soidi Sorhaindo-Illis expressed immense gratitude for the overwhelming response:
“My heart is full as I reflect on what we’ve created together. Seeing our students connect with their roots and celebrate their identity reminded us all that our culture is powerful and alive.”
The success of this initiative was made possible by various sponsors in our community and their generous support, including Prime Distributors, Nestlé, and Carl & Sons, whose contributions helped turn a vision into a vibrant experience.
A heartfelt thank-you also goes to the dedicated team who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, “the true crown behind the crown,” ensuring every detail reflected purpose, passion, and pride.
Special acknowledgment is extended to Cultuurfonds Caribisch Gebied (CCG) for believing in this vision and supporting the program’s development from concept to reality.
To every student who participated, performed, and shared their voice, thank you for reminding us why this work matters. You are the future, and your crowns shine bright.
From Coils to Crowns is only the beginning. Together, we will continue to celebrate our roots, rhythm, and resilience as we reclaim our identity one crown at a time. As From Coils to Crowns continues to grow, we encourage our wider community of schools, parents, cultural leaders, and businesses to join in creating initiatives that educate, empower, and uplift the next generation. Together, we can do more. Do not be afraid to start, to collaborate, and to build spaces that celebrate our heritage and identity while building stronger communities.

The importance of Bridging the Climate Finance Gap

November 4 2025: As the world gathers for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the Green Overseas (GO) Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France, will bring a clear message: Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) are not just vulnerable to climate change, they are key actors in global climate solutions - and urgently need access to climate finance to strengthen adaptation and mitigation efforts. The GO Programme is working to bridge this finance gap, supporting OCTs in building resilience, accessing international funds, and calling for their voices to be heard in global climate negotiations.

This year’s COP, described by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the “COP of Truth”, calls for real-world progress and solutions that move beyond commitments to measurable change. For the OCTs, this moment is both urgent and defining. Facing rising seas, coastal erosion, and intensifying storms, these territories stand at the frontline of climate disruption, while holding vast marine areas that are essential to global ecological balance.

Mike Eman, Prime Minister of the Government of Aruba commented: "As I reflect, as Prime Minister of Aruba, on the issues to be addressed at COP30, I cannot do so apart from what is happening with our island friends in Jamaica, where Hurricane Melissa has left deep devastation. It is a sobering reminder of how closely our destinies are intertwined as islands in one shared sea. The crises of our century - inequality, ecological collapse, and distrust - all spring from fragmentation. We have forgotten that humanity and nature form one living system - man and his biosphere. The principle of the Common Good offers a path back: it calls us to align policy with the long arc of the common good and resilience, not short-term gain. Guided by this vision, Aruba is reshaping its institutions around a model of broad prosperity. Our decision to definitively dismantle the oil refinery and repurpose its vast site for a sustainable and inclusive new economy marks a clear turning point - from an industrial past toward a regenerative future.”
The Climate Paradox
Despite their unique vulnerabilities, OCTs face difficulties in accessing international climate finance mechanisms. Their political status, autonomous but not sovereign, places them outside frameworks designed for developing nations, leaving many without the resources necessary to build adequate climate resilience or implement effective adaptation and mitigation measures. Access to targeted climate finance is therefore critical to ensure OCTs can protect communities, ecosystems, and economies from the escalating climate impacts they are facing as island communities.

Ahab Downer, Director of the Green Overseas Programme said: “The OCTs of the EU and UK are undeniably on the frontlines of global climate change impacts. Though their administrations and peoples exhibit great and admirable resilience and adaptability in the face of climate-related adversity, substantial financial and technical support is imperative to help them meet the mounting challenges they face. The EU-funded Green Overseas "GO" Programme is proud to be proactive in helping to strengthen technical adaptation and mitigation capacities within and across these partner countries and territories and to facilitate their access to climate finance. The GO Programme is thus present at COP30 to participate in reminding decision makers across the globe that it is high time that they align to allocate requisite and necessary climate change support to these extraordinary and remarkable Overseas Countries and Territories.”
From Vulnerability to Leadership
Funded under the 11th European Development Fund, Green Overseas advocates for access to finance, strengthening local institutions, and showcasing how OCTs can lead the transition toward clean energy, biodiversity protection, and climate resilience. Green Overseas connects 25 EU and UK OCTs across the Caribbean, Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Southern Oceans, as well as the Arctic. Its work focuses on four strategic areas:
● Energy Transition – supporting renewable energy adoption and sustainable grid innovations.
● Climate Resilience – investing in coastal protection, ecosystem restoration, and disaster risk reduction.
● Access to Finance – opening pathways to international climate funds and preparing high-quality project proposals.
● Capacity Building – equipping local governments and institutions with the tools to plan and implement long-term strategies.
Through these efforts, Green Overseas acts as both a bridge and a voice, linking island territories with international institutions, climate financiers, and global decision-makers.
Solutions from the Islands
Across the globe, OCTs are developing innovative, scalable solutions that transform challenges into opportunities. Examples include:
● Saint Helena is reforming its energy regulatory framework to achieve 80% renewable electricity by 2028, proving that small islands can lead on clean energy transitions.
● Turks & Caicos is assessing the feasibility of floating offshore wind farms, unlocking the potential of ocean-based renewable energy for island grids.
● French Polynesia’s Tuamotu Atolls are creating 30-year shoreline projections to guide long-term coastal adaptation on some of the world’s most vulnerable islands.
● The Cayman Islands are taking a data-driven approach to resilience through the launch of the National Resilience Scorecard Project, a first-of-its-kind tool that will guide public and private investment decisions based on their contribution to national climate resilience.

Ms Lina Tode, GO Programme Caribbean Regional Coordinator, Expertise France commented: “The Green Overseas (GO) Programme aims at strengthening the climate resilience of Overseas Countries and Territories. In this framework, the Cayman Islands Resilience Scorecard project will be a strategic tool for evidence-based planning and to provide guidance for public and private investments towards alignment with national climate resilience objectives. Mainstreaming resilience into decision making is at the heart of the GO Programme, and the Cayman Islands Resilience Scorecard project will showcase a comprehensive tool to facilitate the achievement of this objective.”
The Green Overseas team will be present throughout COP30 in Belém, facilitating dialogue, organising and participating in side events, and connecting with global partners to ensure OCT perspectives are represented in international climate negotiations.
Press Contact:
For more information or to schedule interviews, please contact: Sarah Forster, Head of Event Programming This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The GO Programme is funded by the European Union under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). The GO Programme sets out to provide training and knowledge-sharing sessions between island stakeholders from each OCT to foster knowledge-consolidation and capacity building, leveraging each other’s best practices. GO also provides a pathway for each OCT to submit two funding proposals for energy transition projects and climate resilience.
Implemented by Expertise France since 2020, the GO Programme aims to accelerate the energy transition and enhance the resilience of the following 25 European and British Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) to climate change:

Pacific Ocean
French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Pitcairn, Wallis and Futuna Islands.

Caribbean
Anguilla, Aruba, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Barthelemy,Saint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands.

Arctic, Atlantic, Southern & Indian Oceans
Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, Falkland Islands, French
Southern and Antarctic Lands, Greenland, Saint Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da
Cunha, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

More information about the Go Programme is available here: https://www.green-overseas.org
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PHILIPSBURG:--- Sint Maarten is confronting an urgent crisis as its cemeteries are running out of space, prompting Member of Parliament Darryl York to request immediate government intervention. York has formally called for a Parliamentary Question Hour with the Minister of VROMI to address the critical lack of burial plots, framing it as a fundamental issue of dignity, planning, and cultural respect.

Many of the island's cemeteries are reported to be at or near full capacity. Compounding the problem are specific threats, such as erosion at the Cay Bay cemetery, and a broader absence of a master plan for the maintenance, expansion, or future development of burial grounds.

“This is not a topic many wish to confront, but it is one that requires honest attention and decisive planning,” stated MP York. “Burial is a deeply human matter. It speaks to how a society honors its past while preparing for its future. We owe it to our people to ensure that their final resting place is managed with dignity and foresight.”

In his request to the President of Parliament, York submitted a series of pointed questions demanding transparency and a clear strategy from the Ministry. Key points for discussion include:

· The exact availability of remaining burial plots across the island.
· The Ministry's short-term contingency plans and long-term strategy for new cemetery development.
· The status of land acquisition, specifically the Belvedere property listed in the 2025 capital expenditures plan.
· Measures to address environmental threats like the erosion at Cay Bay cemetery.

MP York emphasized that solving this crisis requires a collaborative approach, involving religious institutions, community councils, and funeral directors. He stressed that the human element must be the priority.

“We are not planning for statistics; we are planning for people, for their families, and for their final wishes,” York stated. “The time for vague promises is over. We need a plan, we need a timeline, and we need it now.”

PHILIPSBURG:---  Sint Maarten has marked a historic milestone as the country hosted its first-ever Strategic Postal Business Meeting, welcoming delegates from 17 nations to the island for high-level dialogue on the future of the postal sector. The program was hosted and coordinated by Bureau Telecommunications and Post (BTP) in partnership with the Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal (PUASP/UPAEP), reflecting Sint Maarten’s growing role as an active regional partner in postal sector modernization and regulatory advancement.

The opening ceremony featured remarks from Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina, the Minister of Finance Ms. Marinka Gumbs, Interim Director of BTP Mrs. Judianne Labega-Hoeve, Director of Postal Services Sint Maarten (PSS) Ms. Antonia Wilson, and Secretary General of PUASP, Mr. Franklin Castro. Each speaker recognized the significance of this historic moment as Sint Maarten hosts strategic deliberations of this scale for the first time in its history.

Held on November 5th and 6th, the meeting brings together designated postal operators, regulators, private-sector agencies, and government representatives to exchange perspectives and examine global developments shaping the postal industry. Discussions are centered on global market dynamics, modernization and digital transformation, international parcel coordination, business sustainability and profitability, e-commerce logistics, and improvements to customer service delivery and experience.

As the national regulator, BTP plays a leading role in guiding the modernization of the postal sector in Sint Maarten. The agency is committed to ensuring that the sector remains efficient, responsive, and relevant in a rapidly evolving digital marketplace. In her address, Interim Director of BTP, Mrs. Judianne Labega-Hoeve, emphasized the importance of collaboration and innovation in shaping the future of postal services on the island.

“This historic gathering brings us together to reflect, reimagine, and redefine the future of postal services. In a small island developing state like ours, where connectivity defines resilience, postal services are not just about mail—they are about opportunity, inclusion, and economic growth,” she stated.

She further noted that the role of the regulator extends beyond oversight. “The regulator’s role is not just to monitor, but to guide and inspire innovation. The future of Sint Maarten’s postal services must be digital, diversified, and demand-driven—grounded in trust, efficiency, and modern service delivery,” she said. She added that although Sint Maarten is smaller in scale than larger markets, it can still adopt a modern hybrid postal ecosystem in which traditional services coexist with e-commerce logistics, digital service platforms, and community-based service offerings. “Transformation begins with collaboration, technology adoption, and shared regional vision,” she stated.
During the opening session, BTP also highlighted the creativity and engagement of Sint Maarten’s youth, presenting the winning artwork of the recently launched Youth Postal Stamp Design Competition for local fifth-grade students. The winning design was celebrated as a symbol of connection, imagination, and national pride. “Our young people remind us that postal services are more than logistics; they are about connection and identity. Their imagination shows us what happens when we allow the next generation to dream boldly,” said Labega-Hoeve.

By hosting this landmark event, Sint Maarten steps forward as an active regional collaborator in shaping the next chapter of postal development across Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal. The Government of Sint Maarten, BTP, PSS, and PUASP reaffirm their joint commitment to guiding the postal sector toward greater sustainability, modern efficiency, and improved service delivery that supports local enterprise, community connectivity, and economic growth.