Maritime Boundary Delimitation, a priority for the region

Castries, February 12- The OECS Team on Oceans Governance says maritime boundary delimitation is a priority for the region and on going dialogue and awareness building activities within the context of the 9 member grouping will further build capacity in managing the Eastern Caribbean region’s marine resources more effectively.

Head of the OECS Oceans Governance Unit Dr. Asha Singh says this is in keeping with delivering on the mandate regarding the OECS’ Growth and Development Strategy and more specifically the Eastern Caribbean Regional Ocean Policy regarding maritime boundary delimitation.

The OECS Secretariat/Commission with funding and technical support from the Commonwealth Secretariat conducted the three day workshop aimed at providing greater awareness among member countries regarding boundary delimitation. The forum brought together stakeholders including CARICOM member countries, to share with the OECS member States some of the issues and challenges associated with boundary delimitation and the process of reaching agreements.

David Robin, a member of the OECS Oceans Governance Team anticipates tremendous benefits for the people of the region through an integrated approach by Member States. He says the delimitation of maritime boundaries would establish which marine areas fall under the jurisdiction of the state and would then allow them to legally secure the resources therein and to be able to explore, exploit, conserve and manage those resources as is intended within the frame-work of oceans governance. This is expected to redound to the benefit of our population and to our economies as a whole.

Dr. Singh adds that besides building on the expertise needed in the OECS, the recent meeting also enhanced understanding of the technical abilities as well as information and data needs regarding boundary delimitation.