May 8, 2017 – The XIV Session of the IOC (of UNESCO) Sub-Commission for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions IOCARIBE took place in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia on April 26th – 28th.
11 countries and two Dutch Overseas Territories were represented at the meeting as well as observer organizations like CARICOM, CRFM, INVEMAR and the coordinators of IOCaribe´s different projects. The objective was to discuss and establish IOCaribe´s Science Plan 2017 – 2026, operational and administrative issues and the opportunities for IOCaribe to support national implementation of SDG 14.
The discussions lead to recommendations that will be submitted to the 29th Session of the IOC Assembly (21st – 29th June 2017).
The support of the CLME+ project in this context was highlighted, especially in relation to collaboration opportunities under the CLME+ Strategic Action Programme (SAP), the Regional Governance Framework and the future CLME+ Alliance and Partnership. Also, the “State of the Marine Ecosystems and associated Economies” (SOMEE) reporting mechanism, by addressing the implementation of the Strategic Action Programme, will be instrumental to support SDG 14 in the region. An example of this is the collaboration for the Caribbean Marine Atlas, a regional online platform which is currently the repository of geospatial information for SOMEE. In the context of the Atlas and the CLME+ online Training Portal, participants were able to identify capacity building and south-south cooperation opportunities.
