The Caribbean Sea Commission (CSC) was established by the
Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in 2007, as a structured
mechanism to promote the sustainable development of the
Caribbean Sea (Association of Caribbean States 2007, 2). Chief
among its mandates is the elaboration of the Caribbean Sea
Initiative (CSI)—the proposal tabled by Member States of the ACS
at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1999, calling
for designation of the Caribbean Sea, as a ‘special area,’ within the

Countries of the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) have committed to ocean
governance, also, to sustainable development. The two pursuits are
interlinked, and must be pursued in tandem, and in an integrated way, to
achieve these goals. Often they are not, and fragmented ocean governance
and disconnect between ocean governance and sustainable development
results. The WCR needs an ocean policy to integrate its ocean governance
into an overarching vision of sustainable development to enhance its