BELIZE CITY, 3 APRIL 2020
(CRFM)—The vital need to enhance economic growth and sustainable
development in the Caribbean by investing in the blue economy was the
focus of a 2-day regional workshop held in Belize City, on 5-6 March
2020. The workshop was organized by the Caribbean Regional Fisheries
Mechanism (CRFM) in collaboration with the Development Bank of Latin
America (CAF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to
pave the way forward for a new US$46 million project titled,
“Promoting National Blue Economy Priorities Through Marine Spatial
Planning in the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Plus (BE: CLME+).”
The CRFM, an inter-governmental CARICOM agency, is the executing
agency for the 4-year project, which is funded by the Global
Environment Facility (GEF) with a grant of US$6.2 million and
co-financing of US$40.1 million.

Government
representatives from the six participating countries--Barbados,
Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Panama and Saint Lucia—attended the
workshop, while other stakeholders participated remotely via
tele-conference. Workshop participants are now working together with
the CRFM and co-implementing agencies, CAF and FAO, supported by a
consulting team of experts in marine spatial planning, marine
protected areas, fisheries value chain and gender, to prepare the
detailed project document and work plan. The workshop was also
attended by representatives from several regional partners such as
CERMES-UWI, SICA/OSPESCA from Central America, the Caribbean Network
of Fisherfolk Organisations and the UNDP/GEF CLME+ Project
Coordinating Unit and CLME+ SAP Interim Coordination Mechanism.

“The BE: CLME+ project
aims to overcome the barriers to achieving national,
climate-resilient and sustainable fisheries in blue economies in the
Caribbean,” Dr. Yvette Diei Ouadi, FAO Fishery and Aquaculture
Officer and Secretary of Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission,
said during the project’s Inception Workshop.

Dr. Lennox Gladden, Belize’s Chief Climate Change Officer, Ministry of Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development, underscored the critical value of the BE: CLME+ project towards achieving sustainable economic development and improving resilience in the coastal zone, and the tourism and fisheries sectors, spurring vibrant growth and providing economic and social benefits to enhance the quality of life as envisaged in Belize’s national development policies and plans.

The project’s three
components aim to ensure (i) cross-sectoral marine spatial planning;
(iii) inclusive sustainable fisheries value chains; and (iii)
regional coordination, project management and knowledge management.
The intent is that by the end of the project, there would be marine
spatial plans developed at both the regional and national levels, as
well as blue economy strategies for the participating countries.
Furthermore, the project will support the creation and expansion of
areas that benefit from effective area-based management, such as
marine management areas and marine protected areas that recognize the
need for access from a range of stakeholders in a manner that reduces
the risk of conflicts.

Mr. Milton Haughton, CRFM
Executive Director, noted that, “Marine spatial planning is a tool
to create and establish a more rational organization of the use of
marine ecosystems and the interactions between their users and uses;
to balance demands for economic growth and development with the need
to protect the environment and to achieve social objectives in an
open and planned way.”

The BE: CLME+ project is
being designed by a team that is cognizant of the need for a
participatory approach, sensitive to the challenges that now confront
the region—ranging from climate change impacts, marine pollution
and irresponsible fishing to the coronavirus COVID-19 disease. The
team is committed to the need for social inclusion, participation of
indigenous groups and gender mainstreaming.

Mrs. Luciana Fainstain,
Executive of the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and the
Bank’s in-house Gender Specialist, acknowledged the need for the
project to go beyond women’s issues, considering also the need to
incorporate the new masculinities relevant to young men.

The project’s budget
includes US$ 25 million in co-financing from the Development Bank of
Latin America, to provide lines of credit through national financial
institutions to support the development of fisheries value chains. In
addition to marine spatial planning, another component of the project
focuses on the development of sustainable seafood value chains, which
could support innovations in utilizing current catches and discards
to make more profitable products, ranging from consumer-friendly
value-added seafood products for human consumption, to dietary
supplements, pharmaceuticals and beauty products. The third project
component focuses on knowledge management and dissemination of
experiences and lessons learnt in support of the GEF-funded IW Learn
Platform (https://iwlearn.net/)
and CLME+ SAP.

The BE: CMLE+
participating countries are among the 32 countries and overseas
territories that have endorsed the 10-year Strategic Action Programme
(SAP) for the sustainable management of shared Living Marine
Resources in the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine
Ecosystems (CLME+ region), which was developed under a previous
GEF-funded project.

Mr. Haughton expressed
gratitude to the countries and key partners which have been
supporting the initiative and emphasized the need for continued
strong partnerships and cooperation among all stakeholders in
realizing the potential of the marine sector in the Caribbean.