The London-based Commonwealth Secretariat says targeted assessments carried out in two Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries show that they are well prepared to pursue the development of sustainable blue economies, while also facing a range of untapped opportunities and challenges.
The Secretariat said that the project carried out last year in partnership with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Howell Marine Consulting and the University of Portsmouth, assessed the readiness of Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda to shift to a sustainable blue economy.
It said in making this transition, countries can draw on ocean resources for economic development, while also effectively protecting the marine environment.
The Secretariat said that a new ‘Rapid Readiness Assessment’ (RRA) method was trialled based on UNEP’s Sustainable Blue Economy Transition Framework. The RRA provides governments with a focussed snapshot of where to go next, informed by desk-based analysis, in-country stakeholder workshops and interviews.
