Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell announced on Wednesday that Commonwealth_ Grenada has been chosen as the host for the regional sargassum secretariat and information hub. This decision was reached during the second European Union–Caribbean Global Gateway conference on sargassum, which spanned two days and concluded to foster regional collaboration to address the challenges posed by sargassum. Speaking to reporters after the conference, Prime Minister Mitchell emphasized Grenada’s commitment to taking a leadership role in regional efforts to combat sargassum. “Coming out of the conference, there are a couple of things Grenada intends to champion and to lead regionally on this issue. Some of our proposals include the creation of a regional sargassum secretariat and the creation of a regional information sargassum hub,” Mitchell stated. The establishment of a secretariat and information hub is viewed as a crucial step in managing the escalating problem of sargassum in the Caribbean region. Mitchell explained that this initiative is meant to serve as a centralized coordinating body for developing policies, conducting research, and fostering collaboration for the sustainable management of sargassum throughout the region. “We think this is critical to ensure that we have a central coordinating body for policy development, research, collaboration, and sustainable management of sargassum efforts throughout the region,” he said.
Additionally, Mitchell highlighted the importance of sharing best practices and mobilizing resources to ensure the development and implementation of successful valorization strategies for sargassum. Valorization involves transforming the challenges posed by sargassum into potential opportunities, such as using it in biofuel production or fertilizer. “This is important if we are going to share best practices to facilitate resource mobilization for ensuring that we can have successful valorization strategies, Grenada has put its hands up and we are happy to become the secretariat and the information hub,” he added. Although the specific details of the secretariat are still under development, it is expected to become the focal point for coordinating all sargassum-related activities across the region, involving both the public and private sectors. The decision to place the secretariat in Grenada is part of a broader regional strategy to combat the adverse effects of sargassum, a problem that has affected the Caribbean since 2011.
The two-day EU-Caribbean Global Gateway conference, held under the theme “Turning the Tide: Sustainable Practices and Economic Opportunities for Sargassum in the Caribbean Basin,” was designed to address the growing environmental and socio-economic impacts of sargassum seaweed across the Caribbean. The initiative aimed to build regional capacity, attract investment, and promote innovation, with a particular focus on transforming the sargassum issue into sustainable economic opportunities. The Caribbean has been grappling with unprecedented amounts of sargassum washing ashore for over a decade, affecting not only its renowned beaches but also disrupting marine ecosystems and threatening key economic sectors, including tourism and fisheries. These sectors are critical to the region’s economy, and the influx of sargassum has had a significant negative impact on livelihoods and environmental health.
At the conference, Prime Minister Mitchell underscored the far-reaching consequences of sargassum influxes for the region’s coastal economies and communities. He pointed out that the conference provided an “exceptional platform for fostering dialogue, mobilizing action, and securing investment in sustainable solutions.” The dialogue centered on exploring ways to mitigate the impact of sargassum, harnessing it for economic benefits, and implementing practical measures to support affected communities. The Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission, Dr. Didacus Jules, also addressed the over 400 participants at the conference. He stressed the importance of adopting a coordinated regional approach to handle the influx of sargassum into Caribbean seas and onto its beaches.