PROCARIBE+ participated in the Diagnostic Workshop for the project's intervention sites in Cuba, a key space for exchange and joint work with specialists from the National Center for Protected Areas (CNAP), representatives of marine protected areas (MPAs), and local communities linked to these areas.

The Secretariat of the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism joins the international community in celebrating a historic achievement: the entry into force, on the past January 17, of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

The Secretariat of the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM), together with partner organizations and in coordination with the Chairs of the MCO Steering Group and Executive Group, will hold the First Joint Workshop of the OCM Working Groups and the First Regional Partnership Forum: "Our Sea - Our Source - Our Future. The Wider Caribbean (and beyond): United in Action, from analysis to decision-making and implementation," 

PROCARIBE+  through the UNDP/GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) implemented by UNDP is supporting activities under the Flowing Clean project to protect the Soufrière Watershed in Saint Lucia. A group of thirteen professionals, from five local organizations, gained technical skills through the Drone Pilot and Participatory Mapping Course to collect aerial data, identify changes in land use, and better monitor threats such as erosion and pollution.

The PROCARIBE+ Project facilitated a successful Blue Economy Twinning Exchange, a peer-to-peer learning mission that strengthened SIDS-to-SIDS collaboration between the Caribbean and Africa. Jointly supported by GEF IW:LEARN, PROCARIBE+, and the African SIDS Blue Economy Projects, the mission aimed at transferring knowledge and experiences on sustainable ocean management and innovative financing. Participants included Mrs. Shamiso Mlilwana, Project Coordinator of the African SIDS Blue Economy Project; Mr. Vianey Assonfack Ndemasse from the African Union Commission; and Ms. Sonia Gautreau, Senior Project Officer of the PROCARIBE+ Project.

Hurricane Melissa has once again underscored the Caribbean’s profound vulnerability to the impacts of the global climate crisis. At the same time, it reaffirms the urgent need to strengthen resilience, enhance preparedness, and foster unity and cooperation among nations.

The First Joint Workshop of the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM) Working Groups and the First Regional Partnership Forum — Our Sea, Our Source, Our Future: The Wider Caribbean (and Beyond): United in Action — from Analysis to Decision-Making and Implementation were successfully held in Cartagena, Colombia, on October 29–30, 2025. These two events marked a significant step forward in advancing regional cooperation towards an interactive and integrated ocean governance across the Wider Caribbean Region.

The Secretariat of the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM), together with partner organizations and in coordination with the Chairs of the MCO Steering Group and Executive Group, will hold the First Joint Workshop of the OCM Working Groups and the First Regional Partnership Forum: "Our Sea - Our Source - Our Future. The Wider Caribbean (and beyond): United in Action, from analysis to decision-making and implementation".

We are pleased to announce that Honduras has established the National Working Group for the Reduction of Ghost Fishing in the Caribbean Spiny Lobster fishery.

On 8 August 2025 and on behalf of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, H.E. Minister Sean Sobers M.P.,  Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that created the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM). 

The Regional Coordinator of the UNDP/GEF/UNOPS PROCARIBE+ Project and Director of the Secretariat of the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM), Mr. Patrick Debels, participated as a panelist in the Session: “Connecting Experiences: Lessons Learned and Opportunities from the Implementation of GEF projects”, during the Third International Forum on Blue Economy and Growth organized by IMIPAS and celebrated in Cancun, Mexico last week. 

Within the framework of the PROCARIBE+ Project, the Organization of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector of the Central American Isthmus (OSPESCA) and the International Regional Organization for Agricultural Health (OIRSA) held the First Virtual Workshop on Fisheries and Aquaculture Traceability

The PROCARIBE+ Project is supporting countries of the wider Caribbean region to reduce the negative consequences of unsustainable fishing gear and practices in the spiny lobster fishery. OSPESCA is leading the efforts to reduce impacts from unsustainable fishing gear and practices in Caribbean spiny lobster fisheries.

Across the Caribbean, national governments, regional organizations and local communities are coming together through a movement, supported by UNOPS, to heal marine ecosystems and build a sustainable future.

Recognizing the existing challenges in managing the Soufriere River in St. Lucia, the community is now committed to taking real action to change the cause of this important source of life for their people. This ‘ridge to reef’ project  is a perfect example of a ‘whole-of-ecosystem’ or integrated management approach that is needed to address the most pressing environmental problems of the regions.

Looking back at last week's global launch of the Ocean Coordination Mechanism for the wider Caribbean at UNOC3.

The MCO offers an ideal platform for regional attention to the massive sargassum upwelling phenomenon that particularly affects the coasts of the Mexican Caribbean and other nations in the region

The Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM) 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. 

The Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew), a co-executing partner of the PROCARIBE+ Project hosted a workshop for representatives of regional governments, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, featuring best practices and key lessons for integrating blue carbon coastal wetlands in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) from countries in the wider Caribbean region

This year, the region operationalized the Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM), a regionally owned, non-binding platform to align ocean governance across countries and institutions.

Listen to the opening address by Dr. Didacus Jules, Director General of the OECS — a strong message on the importance of ocean coordination for the Wider Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf.

Want to know how the oceans' natural capital is part of the foundation for achieving the social and economic SDGs? Stay tuned to this video as our regional coordinator, Patrick Debels, who recently attended the Global Accounts Partnership Meeting in Costa Rica, explains key concepts on how ocean accounting supports the preservation and restoration of valuable natural resources that provide ecosystem services for human benefit. 

We have just concluded an intensive and highly collaborative meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, focused on advancing the PROCARIBE+ Project in Colombia.

PROCARIBE+ is thrilled to announce that PROCARIBE+ is partnering with the Mesoamerican Reef Fund (MAR Fund) to develop a proposal to designate Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSA) in the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) region! 

Regional Organizations (IGOs) reaffirm their commitment to work collaboratively to protect and sustainably use the marine wealth of the Caribbean.

The PROCARIBE+ team is excited to launch its new project logo and brand identity! 

A new collaboration between the PROCARIBE+ Project and Trinidad and Tobago’s Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA) has begun with the aim of improving coastal planning in support of the Blue Economy.

The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis has signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of the CLME+ region’s Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM). 

The 15th Meeting of the “Interim Coordination Mechanism for the Sustainable Management, Use and Protection of shared Living Marine Resources in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems” (in short, the CLME+ ICM) was held 20-21 August 2024 in Miami, Florida, United States of America.