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 early 2025, 18 countries and 9 IGOs have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that creates the OCM, affirming their commitment to more integrated ocean governance. Under the shared banner 'Our Sea – Our Source – Our Future. The Wider Caribbean: United in Action,' this growing coalition reflects a unified regional vision for a sustainable and climate-resilient ocean future.