OECS Commission — 11/06/2026
For the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the ocean is not just a beautiful backdrop or an environmental asset to preserve from afar — it is the anchor of survival and identity. The OECS regional grouping of 12 countries in the Eastern Caribbean encompasses more than 1.4 million residents with fundamentally oceanic lives, cultures and futures. However, the dangers of marine pollution, habitat degradation and overfishing, exacerbated by climate change, are placing unprecedented pressures on the marine ecosystems that sustain the region. Under the World Bank-funded Unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC) series of projects, regional policies and targeted financial interventions are being implemented to build a resilient, equitable and thriving Blue Economy across three core areas: Fisheries and Aquaculture; Marine & Coastal Tourism; and Waste Management.
In Fisheries and Aquaculture, the UBEC projects facilitated the development of the OECS Fisheries Strategic Action Plan (2025–2030), addressing persistent challenges including under-resourcing of fisheries management and weak monitoring. In Marine and Coastal Tourism, the OECS Common Tourism Policy was revised (2025–2035) and formally endorsed by the Council of Ministers for Tourism in 2025. In Waste Management, a comprehensive assessment of waste business opportunities was conducted to support an integrated waste management system and a transition to a circular economy. The OECS Commission urges a collective reimagining moving past the false dichotomy between economic survival and environmental conservation. True progress lies in recognising that the sea does not separate the Eastern Caribbean islands but connects their shared potential.