Caribbean Blue Economy Hub

About Us

Driving Sustainable Blue Growth Across the Caribbean

In the Caribbean context, characterized by a growing regional commitment to preserving marine and coastal ecosystems, innovative mechanisms have emerged to channel resources toward projects focused on conservation, restoration, and sustainable management. These efforts contribute indirectly to climate resilience and to strengthening the blue economy.

The blue economy refers to the industries and societies that rely on oceans and waterways. The Caribbean Blue Economy Financing (Caribbean BLUEFin) project will tackle several barriers that lead to limited financial resources being invested in marine and coastal ecosystems and the inadequate consideration of the value of these ecosystems' goods and services. These barriers include the need for support to establish sustainable finance mechanisms, a poor enabling environment for private sector investment, inadequate decision-support tools and a lack of significant actions at the subregional scale.

The Caribbean BLUEFin project objective is to create and strengthen nature-based Blue Economy opportunities and approaches in the Caribbean through innovative financing mechanisms. The project also engages stakeholders and raises awareness about a sustainable blue economy within the region.

FUNDED BY

Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

TOTAL FUNDING

USD 6M

EXECUTED BY

Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF)

PROJECT DURATION

Four years ending in 2027

BENEFICIARY COUNTRIES

The Bahamas Dominican Republic Grenada Saint Lucia St Vincent and the Grenadines

The global environmental benefits will contribute to socio-economic benefits at the national and local levels, and may improve livelihood options, increase food security, promote gender equality and assist with climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The project includes three financial mechanisms: Digital Payment System (DPS), Blue Card, and Blue Carbon Facility, adapted to the context and needs of Caribbean countries.

Our Mission

The Caribbean Caribbean Blue Economy Financing (Caribbean BluEFin) Project is a dynamic platform focused on advancing economic diversification through partnerships and investments in sustainable Blue Economy initiatives, opportunities, and activities. Created with support from the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund (CBF) and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) via the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Hub aims to support sustainable development and finance in the region.

The Caribbean Biodiversity Fund’s Caribbean Blue Economy Financing (Caribbean BluEFin) Project exists to unite innovators, investors, and communities across the region to protect our oceans while building resilient, ocean-based economies. We believe sustainable marine development is key to ensuring food security, creating jobs, and preserving biodiversity for future generations.

Our Objectives

Four key pillars guide our mission to transform the Caribbean’s blue economy

Empower Entrepreneurs

Provide funding, resources, and training to grow sustainable ocean-based businesses.

Support Conservation

Channel investments into projects that restore and protect marine ecosystems.

Promote Collaboration

Connect stakeholders across islands to share knowledge and drive regional progress.

Foster Education

Deliver technical resources and training to build capacity and financial literacy.

Our Approach

Through partnerships with governments, NGOs, and private sector leaders, the Hub offers a digital space where projects can be showcased, investors can discover opportunities, and communities can access tools to turn ideas into impactful initiatives. From mangrove reforestation to sustainable aquaculture, we are building a network that nurtures innovation and accelerates environmental restoration.

Ecosystem of Partnerships

The Caribbean Blue Economy Hub thrives on collaboration. By forging connections across the Caribbean and with global networks, we:

Knowledge Sharing

Facilitate knowledge sharing across the Caribbean region

Technical Expertise

Provide access to technical expertise and specialized skills

Joint Funding

Unlock joint funding opportunities for larger impact projects

Shared Goals

Align stakeholders around shared sustainability goals

Meet the Team

Our dedicated team of conservationists, financial experts, and community leaders work tirelessly to ensure the success of the Hub. Together, we manage funding pipelines, provide technical guidance, and foster partnerships that make sustainable ocean growth a reality.

Cordia Chambers-Johnson

Diversity, Equity, Inclusiveness and Justice Officer, Conservation Finance Program

Cordia Chambers-Johnson is a development professional who bridges academic scholarship and practical expertise in gender studies. Her career spans critical areas such as gender-based violence prevention, climate resilience, and social justice, working with organizations like United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women HQ, UN Women Caribbean, United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), Oxfam Canada, and Global Affairs Canada. As an adjunct lecturer at both the International University of the Caribbean and the University of the West Indies, she has enriched undergraduate education through courses exploring gender dynamics, Caribbean cultural contexts, and social structures. This academic work complemented her extensive consulting practice in gender analyses, gender mainstreaming, stakeholder engagement and policy development. She is an international best speaker from the 10th World Conference on Women's Studies held in Sri Lanka in 2024, where she presented on Food sovereignty and Rural Women's Economic Empowerment in Jamaica: An In-depth Analysis." Throughout her almost two-decade career, Cordia has demonstrated a nuanced understanding of gender issues across government, civil society, and international development sectors, integrating scholarly rigor with practical implementation. She holds a Master of Science in Gender & Development Studies from the University of the West Indies, Mona.

Ingrid Sylvester

Technical Support Officer

Ingrid Sylvester (she/her) is a project management, monitoring and evaluation, and grant administration professional with more than 15 years of experience. Ingrid has worked with a swath of local, regional and international organisations in the Caribbean, Honduras, Canada and beyond. She has worked on initiatives spanning protected areas creation and management, endangered species recovery, mangrove rehabilitation, invasive species control, ecotourism, water and soil quality assessments, and environmental education and public awareness. She has a broad breadth and depth of education including a Masters in Integrated Environmental Studies (University of Southampton), Graduate Diploma in Public Policy and Evaluation (Carlton University), Bachelor's in Biology (University of the West Indies), and Certificate in Sustainability Management and Enterprise Process Excellence (Toronto Metropolitan University).

Nikisha Toppin

BluEFin Communication Assistant

Nikisha Toppin is the lead Communications Consultant at Services Marketing NT and the Founder of Elaine’s Caribbean Crochet, a social enterprise that empowers women with the resources, skills, and tools to make their businesses more financially sustainable. She has contributed to national, regional and international projects at the InterAmerican Development Bank, United Nations, Caribbean Examinations Council, and the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown. She holds an MSc. in Marketing and BSc. in Management. She was the Vice President Marketing and Communications for the International Association of Business Communicators, Barbados, from 2023-2026, and is the Small Business Association Award 2023 Recipient of the distinguished “Chairman’s Award.

Cordia Chambers-Johnson

Diversity, Equity, Inclusiveness and Justice Officer, Conservation Finance Program

Ingrid Sylvester

Technical Support Officer

Nikisha Toppin

BluEFin Communication Assistant

Working Group

The Blue Economy Financing (BluEFin) Working Group will provide guidance and serve as a knowledge-sharing and coordination platform to support national and regional dialogues, inform the design of enabling policies, and connect stakeholders across the region. Objectives include:

Provide strategic and technical guidance to national and regional private sector dialogues organized under the BluEFin Project.
Identify opportunities and constraints in policy, regulation, investment climate, and stakeholder coordination for private sector participation in sustainable blue economy initiatives.
Recommend measures to enhance the enabling environment for nature-based private sector investment.
Support identification and prioritization of productive sectors aligned with national blue economy aspirations.
Serve as a liaison between the project and broader regional or sectoral efforts related to blue finance and marine/coastal development.

There are two working groups within the Caribbean BluEFin project. They are the Private Sector Working Group and the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Working groups.

The Regional Private Sector Working Group is focused on supporting engagement with the private sector and improving the enabling environment for blue economy investments. This Working Group is providing guidance and serves as a knowledge-sharing and coordination platform to support national and regional dialogues, inform the design of enabling policies, and connect stakeholders across the region.

While the Regional Working Group on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion for the Blue Economy was established to support cross-cutting objectives of the project. This group is working to promote the perspectives, needs, and rights of women, youth, and other underrepresented communities so that they are considered and integrated into BluEFin’s financial mechanisms, stakeholder dialogues, the blue economy hub design, and knowledge sharing efforts.

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