Why this webinar mattered
The Wider Caribbean encompasses both tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems, from coral reefs to mangrove forests and seagrass beds, each supporting rich and distinctive biodiversity. Protecting these habitats requires ensuring that coastal economies develop in a sustainable way, balancing growth with the long-term conservation of natural resources.
However, progress toward managing the ocean sustainably has often been hindered by fragmented initiatives, overlapping mandates and limited coordination across national and regional institutions.
To address this challenge, the webinar focused on Sustainable Ocean Planning and Management (SOPM) – a comprehensive, strategic and future-oriented framework designed to guide decision-making about the overall sustainable use and conservation of a nation’s entire ocean resources and to align national ocean strategies with the wider regional and global frameworks and realities. Strong participation from policymakers, technical experts, and development partners reflected growing momentum across the region to move from isolated initiatives toward more coordinated ocean governance.
Expert insights driving ambition
Opening remarks from the Executive Secretary of the IOC, Vidar Helgesen, underscored the urgent need to scale up ocean action through a coherent, science-based approach to planning and management. This approach should engage whole-of-government and whole-of-society efforts, align climate goals with conservation and sustainable economic growth, and link national plans with regional initiatives to maximise impact.
The ocean presents unique opportunities that will go largely untapped if we don’t apply a knowledge-driven planning approach to ocean management.
This webinar is one of those actions, an I hope you’ll have an instructive and productive session.
Mr. Vidar HelgesenExecutive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO
The programme brought together high-level contributions from the region’s champion countries and technical leaders, including:
- Professor Dale Webber (Government of Jamaica)
- Norma Munguía Aldaraca (Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- Fanny Douvere (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO)
- Cynthia Barzuna (World Resources Institute)
- Erick Richard Castro Gonzalez (Latin American Development Bank – CAF)
- Christopher Corbin (UNEP)
Together, the panellists explored how Sustainable Ocean Plans (SOPs) can better connect national priorities with regional governance frameworks, while also unlocking financing and technical support for implementation.
Discussions also highlighted the importance of aligning country-led SOP processes with broader frameworks, including the UNEP Regional Seas Programme, regional coordination mechanisms such as the OCM, as well as the IOC Strategy for SOPM (2025-2030).
Participants examined how improved coordination can strengthen access to funding from institutions such as the Global Environment Facility, helping nations to move from planning to implementation.
The webinar encouraged countries to join the ‘100% Alliance for Sustainable Ocean Management’, highlighting how pledges and expressions of interest can help unlock technical assistance and capacity-building support.
Looking ahead
This session forms part of a broader webinar series designed to build momentum toward the Our Ocean Conference 2026 (June 16-18; Mombasa, Kenya) and beyond. Outputs from the series will be consolidated into a coordinated package of regional commitments to be presented at the conference.
Watch the webinar here.
About SOPM at IOC
Sustainable Ocean Planning and Management (SOPM) is a comprehensive, strategic and future-oriented framework designed to guide decision-making about the overall sustainable use and conservation of a nation’s entire ocean resources. It is a whole-of-society, whole-of-government approach that serves as a unifying umbrella framework for ocean related governance at all scales.
Adopted by 152 Member States at the IOC’s 33rd Assembly in June 2025, the IOC Strategy for SOPM (2025–2030) sets out a five-year path to help countries meet global conservation targets and prepare for an ocean economy projected to exceed US$3 trillion annually by 2030.
The Strategy’s vision is for every IOC Member State to be adequately equipped to implement knowledge-based Sustainable Ocean Planning and Management. The primary target audience for the strategy is decision-makers and professionals responsible for the planning and management of ocean areas and their resources across IOC Member States.
READ MORE: https://www.ioc.unesco.org/en/articles/first-regional-webinar-sustainable-ocean-planning-and-management-wider-caribbean
