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LOREM IPSUM

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First meeting of the STEERING GROUP (SG) of the

OCEAN COORDINATION MECHANISM (OCM)

Saint George's, Grenada

13-14 May 2025

SGM1 Agenda Item 8

RECOMMENDATIONS

from the OCM Executive Group

to the OCM Steering Group

(v 1.0 - 9 April 2025)

Antigua & Barbuda • Aruba • The Bahamas • Belize • Costa Rica • Curacao • Dominica • Dominican Republic • Grenada • Haití • Honduras • Netherlands on behalf of Bonaire, Saba, Sint Eustatius • Panama • St. Kitts & Nevis • Saint Lucia • Sint Maarten • Suriname • USA

(*OCM Steering Group member States & Territories - status on 11 April 2025)

The activities of the Ocean Coordination Mechanism

are financially supported by

the UNDP/GEF/UNOPS PROCARIBE+ Project

CARICOM Secretariat • CCAD • CRFM • IOC of UNESCO (IOCARIBE) • OECS Commission • OSPESCA • UNDP • UN ECLAC • UNEP Cartagena Convention Secretariat

(*OCM Executive Group member IGOs- status on 11 April 2025)

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Decisions & Recommendations from the (1st Meeting of the) OCM Executive Group (EGM1), relevant to SGM1

EGM1 was convened (virtually) by the OECS Commission, 24 February 2025

Attended by following OCM Member IGOs (quorum ✔ ):

CARICOM Secretariat
CCAD
OSPESCA
IOCARIBE/ IOC-UNESCO
OECS Commission
UNDP
UN ECLAC
UNEP (represented by its Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit (CAR/RCU))

Observers in attendance: Association of Caribbean States (ACS)

Absent/Regrets: CRFM

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Decisions & Recommendations from the (1st Meeting of the) OCM Executive Group (EGM1), relevant to SGM1

Election of EG Chair and Vice-Chair

OECS Commission appointed as Chair
UNEP / Cartagena Convention Secretariat appointed as Vice-Chair

→ for all EG business starting with EGM1 and until opened for re-election

at the start of the 3rd Ordinary Meeting of the EG (oEGM3)

EG Rules of Procedure

partially agreed upon
inclusion of additional specifications requested and under development

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CONTEXT: OCM MOU Article XI.3 - Executive Group

The Executive Group (EG) is to make recommendations to the Steering Group (SG) on:

the (approval of) the OCM Work Programme and Budget;
the funding of the OCM;
the creation of OCM Working Groups;
changes in status of OCM Functions from complementary to core or vice versa

to further the purpose, objectives and functions of the OCM
to improve the efficiency of the OCM communication and information capacities
(...)

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EG Recommendations on Procedural Matters

Termination of the CLME+ SAP Interim Coordination Mechanism (ICM):

(...) the OCM SG is to be informed of the ICM's formal termination. (Decision EGM1.D3.1)

Establishing the OCM Secretariat:

Agrees to an interim arrangement where the PROCARIBE+ PMCU exercises the functions assigned in the OCM MOU to the OCM Secretariat, this until the OCM Secretariat becomes formally established by the OCM SG. (Decision EGM1.D3.2)

Recommends to the OCM SG that the PROCARIBE+ PMCU be formally appointed as the OCM Secretariat, and the PROCARIBE+ Regional Coordinator as Director of the Secretariat, for the duration of the PROCARIBE+ Project or for as long as the PMCU is in conditions to exercise this role, or until the OCM decides otherwise. (Recommendation EGM1.R3.1)

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Recommends approval of the proposed OCM Work Programme and (tentative) Multi-Year Work Plan (MYWP) and Budget for the period January 2025 - April 2028 (...). (Recommendation EGM1.R6.6)

To be discussed further under Agenda Item 9

EG Recommendations on Programmatic Matters

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recommends the formal establishment of the following OCM Working Groups:

(1) Marine Data and Information (MDI) Working Group;
(2) State of the Marine Environment and associated socio-Economics Reporting (SOMEE) Working Group;
(3) Strategic Action Programme (SAP) Working Group;
(4) Gender and Youth Working Group

defers, for the time being, the possible consideration of additional Working Groups to the SG/SGM1

suggests:

endorsing the partial list of WG nominees provided by EG members
the SG develops a way forward to complement the nominations already provided by the EG member IGOs.

To be discussed Further under Agenda item 8

EG Recommendations on Procedural Matters

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In the context of the UN Ocean Decade, SG to consider upscaling of the following OCM functions from "Complementary" to "Core Functions":

(a.) Coordinate knowledge management and facilitate data and information sharing

(Recommendation EGM1.R6.5)

To be discussed further under Agenda Item 9

EG Recommendations on Thematic Matters

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EG Recommendations on Thematic Matters

SG to give consideration to enabling the use of the OCM:

as a regional support platform on matters relating to the BBNJ Agreement. (Recommendation EGM1.R6.1)

for supporting regional coordination on Sargassum. (EGM1.R6.2)

for supporting regional coordination on the implementation of the:

UN Decade for Ocean Sciences

Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. (EGM1.R6.3)

as supporting mechanism for the implementation of the Regional Roadmap for the wider Caribbean under the CBD Sustainable Ocean Initiative. (EGM1.R6.4)

To be discussed further under Agenda Item 9

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Recommended SGM1 Decision:

the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) that are able and wish to do so and that are listed under OCM MOU Annex 1 "Potential Signatories for MOU Commencement", "States and Territories", item 31.a-e, can join the OCM as individual OCM members by directly signing the OCM MOU, in coordination with the United Kingdom. (Recommendation EGM1.R7c.1)

To be discussed Further under Agenda item 10

EG Recommendations on OCM Membership of UKOTs

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Other EG recommendations to the OCM SG

Wide ranging Partnerships - The OCM EG requests the further development of the proposal to host a Partnership Forum during the Gulf & Caribbean Fisheries Institute (GCFI) Annual Conference in Cartagena, Colombia, in October 2025, for presentation and adoption by the OCM Steering Group (SG). (Decision EGM1.D7e.1)

To be discussed Further under Agenda item 10

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