A Caribbean governance model offers blueprint for tackling ocean pollution globally - Back to Blue

From oil spills to plastic pollution and beyond, the Cartagena Convention demonstrates the power of regional cooperation to safeguard oceans.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cartagena Convention, a legally binding regional agreement for the Wider Caribbean, demonstrates how nations can join forces to tackle ocean pollution during this critical second half of the UN Ocean Decade.

The Convention was born from disaster. In 1979, two ships collided off Tobago, spilling nearly 287,000 tonnes of crude oil into the Caribbean Sea. Fisheries collapsed, tourism was threatened, and coastal livelihoods were devastated. In response, Caribbean leaders requested UNEP support, resulting in the adoption of the Cartagena Convention in 1983.

Since then, the Convention has evolved into a comprehensive framework addressing marine and land-based pollution, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable blue economy development. Its success lies in a combination of legally binding commitments and flexible regional cooperation, allowing countries to harmonise policies while adapting to national priorities.

"The Convention has shown that collective action is possible when countries engage through science, law, and partnerships," says Christopher Corbin, Coordinator of the Cartagena Convention Secretariat. "It has evolved from oil spill response to tackling plastic pollution, untreated wastewater, and climate impacts, while ensuring local ownership and regional coherence."

The Convention offers a model for the UN Ocean Decade's proposed programme on ocean pollution, demonstrating the value of bottom-up governance, combining legal frameworks with scientific guidance, and fostering cross-sector partnerships.

Under the Convention, Caribbean governments have been able to coordinate across multiple ministries, including environment, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, and health, breaking down traditional silos that previously hindered effective ocean management.

Combined with regional data-sharing platforms and knowledge exchange forums, technology is transforming raw environmental data into actionable insights that strengthen national and regional capacity to protect the Caribbean Sea. Remote sensing and satellite imagery have enabled governments and researchers to track plastic accumulation and identify pollution hotspots in real-time. These tools support strategic decision-making, such as where to build wastewater treatment infrastructure, how to prioritise coastal clean-ups, or when to issue early warnings to fisheries and tourism operators.

Back to Blue, an initiative of Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation, has worked with experts from science, industry, policy, finance and the UN to develop solutions to address ocean pollution. A Global Ocean Free from the Harmful Impacts of Pollution: Roadmap for Action offers a framework to catalyse collective action.

In response, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) are proposing a multi-decade partnership as part of the UN Ocean Decade (2021–2030). Their vision: to build a strong evidence base, close data gaps and spur decisive public- and private-sector action by 2050.

Realising this ambition will require UN member states to collaborate ever more deeply. The Cartagena Convention offers a model for co-operation that, if replicated in other regions, could spearhead the global effort to tackle ocean pollution.

Find out more: https://backtoblueinitiative.com/roadmap-for-action-ocean-free-of-pollution/