New Centre of Excellence launched at SIDS4
14 June 2024
The University of the West Indies (The UWI) remains at the forefront of climate change advocacy, with the recent launch of the Centre of Excellence for Oceanography and the Blue Economy (COBE).
The Centre, which was established through the collaborative efforts of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, The UWI, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), was launched on May 30
th at the United Nations 4
th Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) conference in Antigua.
Located at The UWI’s Five Islands Campus, the COBE aims to contribute to the development of the blue economy in the Caribbean through the advancement of research and training in oceanography and sustainable maritime industries.
The global blue economy is worth an estimated US $1.5 trillion annually, and Caribbean countries and other SIDS are looking to explore the economic potential of their marine environment and maritime sectors, while simultaneously preserving their marine resources.
Antigua’s Minister of State with responsibility for Social Transformation and the Blue Economy, Hon. Samantha Marshall told the launch it is imperative that SIDS develop homegrown solutions for the sustainable management of marine resources.
“For decades, we have neglected the ocean aspect of governance, only focusing on terrestrial governance. The first step to effectively utilizing our marine space is finding out what it entails in order to develop an effective ocean governance framework,” she stated.
Executive Director of the COBE, Dr Branson Belle said: “COBE has significant potential as a mechanism for harnessing education and research to support the region’s efforts to transition to a sustainable blue economy, and will enable us to learn from each other and collaborate towards addressing our shared ocean challenges in the Caribbean and beyond.”
The ACU’s Director of External Affairs, Beth Button noted her association is uniquely placed to convene university partners from across the Commonwealth to support this initiative.
“We are pleased to be working with our diverse network of more than 400 member universities in over 40 Commonwealth countries to support the aims of COBE and look forward to facilitating the partnerships and collaborations which will enable transformative impact, sustained capacity and a more sustainable future for the Caribbean and Commonwealth,” Button said.
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