Barbados has received high praise for its work on the Caribbean Sea Commission and will retain the chairmanship.

Word of this has come from the Eighth Meeting of the Association of Caribbean States Caribbean Sea Commission held recently in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

The re-election of Barbados to this position was unopposed as member states determined that the country should be re-appointed given its commitment and hard work on matters pertaining to the Caribbean Sea.

In 1999, a proposal, often referred to as the Caribbean Sea Initiative, was tabled by Barbados at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). It called for international recognition of the Caribbean Sea as a ‘special area’ within the context of sustainable development. While the ‘special area’ concept was not endorsed, it was agreed, however, that a comprehensive framework was needed for the area’s management, and that work should proceed towards this end.

It was within this framework that the Caribbean Sea Commission was established in September 2006 to provide a structured mechanism through which progress on the initiative could be driven, thereby ensuring its presence on the UNGA agenda and its implementation at the regional level. At that meeting Barbados was elected Chair of the Commission for a two-year term.

emcclean@barbados.gov.bb

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