Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda are taking further steps to advance their transition to sustainable ‘blue’ economies to support long-term economic growth whilst protecting marine and coastal ecosystems.
Both governments said they will trial a new ‘Rapid Readiness Assessment’ (RRA) to evaluate how prepared their national systems, structures and stakeholders are to make this transition.
The RRAs will help governments and stakeholders understand their current situation and identify both opportunities and gaps.
These assessments are coordinated under the Commonwealth Blue Charter programme with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Howell Marine Consulting and the University of Portsmouth.
In the process, countries will also be introduced to UNEP’s Sustainable Blue Economy Transition Framework (SBE-TF) – the RRAs serve as a preliminary step towards its application. The SBE-TF model framework is designed to complement existing initiatives at the national, regional and global level.
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“Commonwealth ocean states are acutely aware of the vast ocean resources that exist within their waters as well as the need to protect the marine environment,” said Project lead, Dr. Jeff Ardron from the Commonwealth Secretariat.
“We are pleased to be able to support Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda in developing sustainable blue economies, and thank them for their willingness to pilot this new methodology.
“Both face similar challenges as small island developing states, but they also have key economic differences. The rapid readiness assessments should pinpoint gaps and opportunities for each.”
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The Commonwealth Blue Charter is an agreement by all 56 member countries to actively cooperate to support ocean action and meet commitments for sustainable ocean development. Its work programme is implemented through 10 Action Groups, led or co-led by 16 champion countries.
To date, at least 46 Commonwealth countries have joined one or more Action Groups.
The Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Group on Sustainable Blue Economy is championed by Kenya and Antigua & Barbuda.
