For more than a decade, massive annual influxes of sargassum onto the coastline of countries within the wider Caribbean Basin have been a major challenge. Current management efforts have placed a significant fiscal burden on national governments, negatively affected key economic sectors and raised public health concerns. These factors have catalyzed countries and development partners to identify innovative responses and suitable solutions to meet the scale of the challenge. Concurrently, there is a growing consensus of the need to rethink the approach to sargassum management through exploration of valorization pathways and commercial applications, in which sargassum can be used as a natural resource.
The European Union (EU) advanced critical discussions on ongoing efforts and actions during the first EU-LAC regional meeting in Santo Domingo in 2023. Building on its recommendations, the EU in partnership with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission convenes the 2nd EU- Caribbean Global Gateway Sargassum Conference. Under the auspices of the Prime Minister of Grenada, Hon. Dickon Mitchell and the Director General of the OECS, Mr. Didacus Jules, this 2-day event aims at
bringing together governments, regional organisations, industry, academia, and financing institutions to stimulate political discussion, take stock of the progress around sargassum valorisation, and determine actions towards building sustainable value chains.

1-2 October 2024

More Information: sargassumconference@euroclima.org

Grand Anse, St. Georges, Grenada