OUR SEA - OUR SOURCE - OUR FUTURE

The Wider Caribbean: United in Action

News of the OCM

Welcoming Trinidad and Tobago as the 20th country to join the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism. Read more >

The OCM celebrated its global launch at UNOC3. Read more >

Mexico signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of the Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM). Read more >

What to know about the new wave of ocean leadership in Latin America and the Caribbean, ahead of the UN Ocean Conference. Read more >

"The time for symbolism has passed. The Ocean Coordination Mechanism must be the nerve center for decisive action", Dr. Didacus Jules, Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Read more >

First Meeting of the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism's Executive Group. Read more >

St. Kitts and Nevis signs OCM MoU. Read more >

What to know about the new wave of ocean leadership

in Latin America and the Caribbean, ahead of the UN Ocean Conference

Mexico signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

of the Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM)

The OCM celebrated its global launch at UNOC3

Welcoming Trinidad and Tobago

as the 20th country to join the Wider Caribbean Ocean Coordination Mechanism

OCM Meeting Information OCM Key Aspects

About

The Wider Caribbean’s marine resources are vital to the region’s biodiversity, climate resilience, and economic development. However, fragmented efforts and overlapping mandates have historically hindered progress.

The Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM) is a groundbreaking regional governance platform for the Wider Caribbean that provides a permanent, inclusive structure for aligning action, sharing knowledge, and optimizing the use of limited resources by enhancing coordination and collaboration across the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf Large Marine Ecosystems (CLME+ region).

Building on the legacy of the CLME+ Interim Coordination Mechanism (ICM), the OCM formalizes a long-term structure that unites countries, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), and regional stakeholders to address shared marine opportunities & challenges—shifting the focus from problem-centric approaches to proactive, solutions-oriented collaboration in areas such as sustainable fisheries, pollution control, biodiversity conservation, marine spatial planning, and climate-resilient blue economies.

As of August 12, 2025, 20 States/Territories and 9 IGOs have signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that creates the OCM, affirming their commitment to more integrated ocean governance.

How the OCM Works

(OCM governance)

The Ocean Coordination Mechanism operates under a collaborative governance framework designed to enable inclusive, transparent, and effective decision-making across the Caribbean and North Brazil Shelf region.

Decisions are shaped by consensus and informed by both technical input and political direction.

The Steering Group, composed of country representatives, approves work programmes and budgets, while the Executive Group, composed of intergovernmental organizations, convenes to provide coordinated technical and policy advice.

The Secretariat facilitates communication and ensures and tracks timely implementation of decisions.

Implementation of the OCM Work Programme is supported by a select number of OCM Working Groups.

This multi-tiered structure ensures that decisions are informed by diverse perspectives and grounded in shared regional priorities. Governance is supported by regularly convened ordinary and extraordinary meetings, work planning cycles, and progress tracking mechanisms—all aimed at reinforcing regional ownership and delivering long-term impact.

Key Role & Responsibilities

The Ocean Coordination Mechanism ensures region-wide coordination for sustainable ocean governance by distributing responsibilities across three main entities:

Steering Group

Composed of representatives from participating countries, the SG provides strategic direction, approves work plans and budgets, and ensures that national priorities are reflected in regional ocean governance efforts. It also reviews and clears regional strategies such as the Strategic Action Programme (SAP). In the context of the SGM1.2 meeting, the SG formally adopted the Rules of Procedure (RoP), which is available here for consultation.

Executive Group

Made up of intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) with a marine-related mandate, the EG supports technical guidance, coordination across agencies, and the vetting of scientific and policy proposals. It plays a key role in ensuring that decisions are informed by expertise and aligned with institutional mandates.

Secretariat

The Secretariat manages day-to-day operations, facilitates communication across OCM bodies, organizes meetings, tracks implementation of the work programme, and supports the development of key knowledge products such as the SOMEE report and the marine data infrastructure. During the PROCARIBE+ project, the Project Management and Coordination Unit (PMCU) serves as the interim Secretariat.

Together, these entities enable the OCM to deliver on its mission to protect marine ecosystems, foster collaboration, and drive blue economy development across the region.

OCM MoU Signatories

Overview OCM MoU Signatures : OCM Signatories +

Pursuing interactive ocean governance

OCM Representation Activities

OCM Representation Functions Exercised +

OCM Relevant Meetings and Events

OCM photo gallery

The Ocean Coordination Mechanism became operational in December, 2024 and 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.

You can access the photo gallery of the side event here.

The Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM)