Caribbean Sea Commission

What is the Caribbean Sea Commission (CSC)?
The Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and partners have been pursuing the Caribbean Sea Initiative since 1998 through the UNGA Resolution (63-214) ‘Towards the sustainable development of the Caribbean Sea for present and future generations’ at the UN General Assembly. In the process, the CSC was established in 2008 to promote and oversee the sustainable use of the Caribbean Sea.

What is the purpose of the CSC?

The CSC would have the following characteristics:

• It would make best use of the full range of information and expertise available in the region by creating an effective network;
• It would allow for two-way communication and information flow: upwards from information sources through an advisory mechanism to policy makers and back down for feedback and queries;
• It processes would be regular and transparent.

Why hold the regional Consultation at this time?

Since the establishment of the CSC, the ACS and the CSC have been working towards developing appropriate structures and arrangements for its work. The Expert Consultation on ‘Operationalisation of the Caribbean Sea Commission - Building a science-policy interface for ocean governance in the Wider Caribbean,’ was held to carry forward the process of establishing the CSC and its functions.

What did the Consultation set out to achieve?

The purpose of the Expert Consultation was to:

• Share information on the plans for and status of ‘Operationalisation of the Caribbean Sea Commission’ with critical partners;
• Obtain their feedback on the feasibility of the proposals and ideas for improvement of the plan;
• Build consensus on how the partners can work together to achieve the overall goal of ocean governance in the Wider Caribbean Region.