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The Wider Caribbean: United in Action
The Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM)
Page Overview
In this section, you will find relevant, detailed, and updated information about the Ocean Coordination Mechanism. Click on the links to find content related to OCM governance, Key Role and Responsibilities, OCM signatories, photos, and an interactive timeline.
The Wider Caribbean’s marine resources are vital to the region’s biodiversity, climate resilience, and economic development. However, fragmented efforts and overlapping mandates have historically hindered progress.
The Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM) is a groundbreaking regional governance platform for the Wider Caribbean that provides a permanent, inclusive structure for aligning action, sharing knowledge, and optimizing the use of limited resources by enhancing coordination and collaboration across the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CLME+ region).
Building on the legacy of the CLME+ Interim Coordination Mechanism (ICM), the OCM formalizes a long-term structure that unites countries, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and regional stakeholders to address shared marine opportunities & challenges—shifting the focus from problem-centric approaches to proactive, solutions-oriented collaboration in areas such as sustainable fisheries, pollution control, biodiversity conservation, marine spatial planning, and climate-resilient blue economies.
As of August 12, 2025, 20 States/Territories and 9 IGOs have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that creates the OCM, affirming their commitment to more integrated ocean governance.
How the OCM Works (OCM governance)
The Ocean Coordination Mechanism operates under a collaborative governance framework designed to enable inclusive, transparent, and effective decision-making across the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf region.
Decisions are shaped by consensus and informed by both technical input and political direction.
The Steering Group, composed of country representatives, approves work programmes and budgets, while the Executive Group, composed of intergovernmental organizations, convenes to provide coordinated technical and policy advice.
The Secretariat facilitates communication and ensures and tracks timely implementation of decisions.
Implementation of the OCM Work Programme is supported by a select number of OCM Working Groups.
This multi-tiered structure ensures that decisions are informed by diverse perspectives and grounded in shared regional priorities. Governance is supported by regularly convened ordinary and extraordinary meetings, work planning cycles, and progress tracking mechanisms—all aimed at reinforcing regional ownership and delivering long-term impact.
Key Role & Responsibilities
The Ocean Coordination Mechanism ensures region-wide coordination for sustainable ocean governance by distributing responsibilities across three main entities:
Steering Group (SG): Composed of representatives from participating countries, the SG provides strategic direction, approves work plans and budgets, and ensures that national priorities are reflected in regional ocean governance efforts. It also reviews and clears regional strategies such as the Strategic Action Programme (SAP). In the context of the SGM1.2 meeting, the SG formally adopted the Rules of Procedure (RoP), which is available here for consultation.
Executive Group (EG): Made up of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) with a marine-related mandate, the EG supports technical guidance, coordination across agencies, and the vetting of scientific and policy proposals. It plays a key role in ensuring that decisions are informed by expertise and aligned with institutional mandates.
- Secretariat: The Secretariat manages day-to-day operations, facilitates communication across OCM bodies, organizes meetings, tracks implementation of the work programme, and supports the development of key knowledge products such as the SOMEE report and the marine data infrastructure. During the PROCARIBE+ project, the Project Management and Coordination Unit (PMCU) serves as the interim Secretariat.
Together, these entities enable the OCM to deliver on its mission to protect marine ecosystems, foster collaboration, and drive blue economy development across the region.
OCM MoU Signatories
OCM Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
The MOU is not a legally binding instrument; it does not impose legal obligations or commitments on its Signatories nor does it affect in any way the sovereign rights of the (future) OCM Member States.
The integral text of the Ocean Coordination Mechanism document, in English, Spanish and French versions, is available here.
20 key facts about the OCM and the OCM Memorandum of Understanding are available here.
Pursuing interactive ocean governance
OCM photo gallery
The Ocean Coordination Mechanism became operational in December, 2024 and celebrated its global launch at UNOC3, on June 9th, 2025, at a side event hosted by the government of Grenada, during the event United In Action: Actioning Blue 30x30 Vision and Launching the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism.
You can access the photo gallery of the side event here.
Status update: Wet OCM MOU Signature Pages at the OCM Secretariat
Confused? Let us explain
In the following document you will find relevant information about the PROCARIBE+ Project and the Ocean Coordination Mechanism and how these two initiatives are connected. Click here to access.
Interactive Timeline
The operationalization - with the support of the UNDP/GEF/UNOPS PROCARIBE+ Project under its Project Component # 1 - of the regional “Ocean Coordination Mechanism” (OCM) constitutes a flagship project output and a major milestone on the Wider Caribbean region's path towards regional-level, integrated, interactive ocean governance. Key achievements and events, both from the past and those currently planned and leading to the OCM's operationalization and beyond, are visualized in the interactive timeline below: