Latest content: Commonwealth Blue Charter

A review of ocean-based actions and commitments contained in the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) reports – the main mechanism by which countries communicate their ambitions and efforts in support of the Paris Agreement – of the 49 coastal and island states within the Commonwealth.

In the ongoing fight against poverty and inequality, globalization and sustained economic growth are perceived as key to ending global poverty and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This blue economy Rapid Readiness Assessment (RRA) pilot project was undertaken in Antigua and Barbuda, alongside a second pilot project in Trinidad and Tobago, to establish the government’s readiness to embark on the transition to a sustainable blue economy (SBE). The RRA approach being developed is based on the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) Sustainable Blue Economy Transition Framework and is being trialled by the Commonwealth Secretariat in partnership with UNEP, Howell Marine Consulting and the University of Portsmouth, under the Commonwealth Blue Charter programme. This report presents the findings of the RRA, with recommendations.

This blue economy Rapid Readiness Assessment (RRA) pilot project was undertaken in Trinidad and Tobago, alongside a second pilot project in Antigua and Barbuda, to establish the government’s readiness to embark on the transition to a sustainable blue economy (SBE). The RRA approach is based on the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Sustainable Blue Economy Transition Framework (SBE-TF) and is being trialled by the Commonwealth Secretariat, in partnership with UNEP, Howell Marine Consulting and the University of Portsmouth, under the Commonwealth Blue Charter programme. This report presents the findings of the RRA, with recommendations.

Drawing from a wide range of resources on ocean climate finance, this guide is intended to support practitioners, policy-makers and ocean advocates to understand the ‘seascape’ of ocean climate finance, and empower them to design and develop more successful ocean climate finance applications. It introduces the special characteristics of ocean-based mitigation and adaptation projects, explains the different sources and types of finance available, and equips readers with a practical understanding of the priorities of different funding groups from both the public and private sectors.