The First Regional Partnership Forum “Our Sea - Our Source - Our Future. The Wider Caribbean (and beyond): United in Action”

The First Regional Partnership Forum “Our Sea - Our Source - Our Future. The Wider Caribbean (and beyond): United in Action”, held on October 30, 2025, is taking place at a critical juncture for ocean governance and sustainable development in the Wider Caribbean. The commencement of the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM) in December 2024 marked a milestone in the region’s collective efforts to strengthen cooperation for healthy, resilient marine and coastal ecosystems and sustainable blue economies. 

Understood as the collective of its members, the regional OCM is positioned as a multi-stakeholder platform that directly contributes to foster coordination efforts, dialogue, coherence, synergies, and joint action among governments and intergovernmental organisations (the OCM membership), and other ocean-relevant regional stakeholders. 

The Forum constitutes an initial opportunity to facilitate regional and global stakeholder engagement beyond the OCM membership -currently consisting of 20 countries of the region and 9 IGOs- in line with the concept of an integrated and interactive ocean governance that involves a wide range of stakeholders and sectors of the society.

This First Partnership Forum under the OCM’s Work Programme responds to renewed global and regional commitments to accelerate the transition from analysis to decision-making and implementation. It is framed within key international and regional processes, including:

• The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and its interlinkages with climate, biodiversity, and socio-economic goals.
• The Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), with its targets on ecosystem restoration, marine and coastal protection, and resource mobilisation.
• The Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
• The “Science we Need for the Ocean we Want” UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), which call for strengthened scientific knowledge, data sharing, and innovative partnerships to address the triple planetary crisis.
• The commitments under the Cartagena Convention and its Protocols, which remain the only legally binding regional framework for the protection and sustainable development of the Wider Caribbean’s marine environment
• The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS).

The Key Concepts and Frameworks discussed in the dialogue sessions:

Panel 1 — Frameworks and Approaches for agreeing and committing to ocean action: Strategic Action Programmes, Sustainable Oceans Plans and Regional Seas Strategies -where do we go from here?

Speakers: Andrew Hume (GEF), Fanny Douvere (IOC/UNESCO)
Panelists: Cynthia Barzuna (Global Deputy Director Ocean Program, World Resources Institute (WRI), Claudette Spiteri (IW:LEARN Project Manager), Alberto Pacheco Capella (Head, Regional Seas Programme,UNEP), Erik Castro (Principal Executive, Technical Advisory on Biodiversity and Climate (Blue Economy), Development Bank of Latin America (CAF)

Panel 2 - Practical Experiences on Ocean / Blue Economy policies within and beyond the Wider Caribbean Region - How do they all link up?

Speakers/Panelists:  Mr. Kareem Sabir Deputy Programme Manager, Sustainable Development, CARICOM Secretariat , Ms. Susanna De Beauville-Scott, Programme Director, Sustainable Ocean Management Programme, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Commission (OECS) Mr. Mario Escobedo, Renewable Natural Resources Engineer and Economist,The Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD),  Margarita Kazo Chavez (Mexico Director General of Conservation and Management of Seas and Coasts, SEMARNAT, Mexico , Mr. Jair Urriola Secretario Ejecutivo, Corredor Marino del Pacifico Este Tropical (CMAR) , Ms. Shamiso Mlilwana, Project Coordinator of African SIDS Blue Economy Project

Panel 3- A regional Data, Information and Knowledge Infrastructure in support of Ocean Governance

Speakers/Panelists:  Mr. Dayne Buddo (BE CLME+ Regional Coordinator), Ms. Yvette Dieiouadi (WECAFC Secretariat, FAO), Ms Margarita Lopez (Ocean Decade Coordination Office, Ocean Data Sharing (ODS) IOC UNESCO), Ms Mia Rivers Pena (Chief, ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean),Ms Susanna Salvador (Coordinator, OSPAR Commission), Mr. Sergio Cordera (Researcher at Researcher, SIMAR Coordinator of CONABIO), Mr. Chris Corbin (Coordinator, Cartagena Convention Secretariat)

The Forum reinforces the OCM’s role as a partnership-oriented and knowledge-driven mechanism for advancing the Wider Caribbean ocean agenda.

Forum Documents:

-Concept Note -Forum and PPT Presentations -Video Recordings -Photo Gallery -List of Participants -Draft Report