Examining Institutional Arrangements toward Coordinated Regional Ocean Governance and Blue Economy Policy Development in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

Abstract

Members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) exhibit strong economic, social and cultural connection with and dependence on the marine and coastal environment. Efforts to encourage the sustainable use and protection of the ocean and its resources should therefore be an area of interest and competence for the regional group which seeks to engender cooperation in matters of economic and social development. This paper examines the regionally relevant institutional arrangements that frame and execute ocean development and governance within CARICOM. It finds that while some important sectors, such as fisheries and tourism, have specific organizations established geared toward regional coordination in management of those activities, others, including offshore oil and gas, marine scientific research, and port and shipping development, lack similar arrangements. Additionally, the CARICOM group lags in adopting a holistic, ecosystem approach to ocean management with siloed approaches dominating and few formal mechanisms for intersectoral coordination existing. This paper advocates for and proposes means toward increased integration at a regional level for the management and continued governance of the marine space, its associated resources and activities. It also seeks to encourage the participatory development of a regional blue economy policy framework and strategy which would outline, among other things, CARICOM’s ocean vision and development priorities.