THE Commonwealth Secretariat on Thursday announced the first call for proposals under the newly established Commonwealth Blue Charter Project Incubator.

New technical support and funding is being made available to governments to support projects that promote ocean protection and marine development, while tackling climate change.

This includes small grants worth between £5,000 and £50,000 targeting a range of activities that support ocean policy and project development, such as training, capacity-building, knowledge exchanges, and rapid climate risk or vulnerability assessments, ideally carried out in collaboration with a non-government partner.

Speaking at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), the Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland urged all member countries to apply:

“With 49 out of 56 member countries bordering the ocean, including 25 small island developing states, the Commonwealth accounts for more than one-third of the ocean under national jurisdiction. The Commonwealth Blue Charter Project Incubator is a critical step forward in supporting these countries in the delivery of their ocean commitments, including those under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 as well as their Nationally Determined Contributions.

“I strongly encourage member governments to take advantage of this call for applications and submit robust proposals that support the development of sustainable blue economies while addressing one of the greatest global challenges of our time — climate change,” said Scotland.

Dr Nicholas Hardman-Mountford, head of Oceans and Natural Resources at the Commonwealth Secretariat, added: “The Blue Charter Project Incubator provides a vehicle for all Commonwealth governments to pilot innovative solutions addressing their most urgent national priorities for ocean sustainability and resilience, learn from each other’s experiences, and build capacity for implementation.

“With ocean action and marine conservation (SDG14) being the least funded among all the Sustainable Development Goals, this is an important contribution that recognises the role of our ocean as the world’s largest carbon sink and a home to the majority of Earth’s living species.”

To apply, countries must be a member of at least one of the 10 Commonwealth Blue Charter Action Groups or indicate their commitment to join.

The Commonwealth Blue Charter is an agreement by all 56 Commonwealth nations to work actively together to address some of the world’s most pressing ocean challenges. It is implemented through 10 country-led action groups focusing on key thematic areas: coral reef restoration, mangrove ecosystems and livelihoods, marine plastic pollution, marine protected areas, ocean acidification, ocean climate action, ocean observation, sustainable aquaculture, sustainable blue economy, and sustainable coastal fisheries.

Dr Jeff Ardron, who leads the Commonwealth Blue Charter programme at the Commonwealth Secretariat, said: “The Blue Charter Project Incubator is a ‘one-stop shop’ for countries and their partners working on ocean issues. It supports the full lifecycle of project development, from new ideas through to proven approaches, and everything in-between.”

The Commonwealth Blue Charter Project Incubator is supported by an initial contribution from the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation, with additional support from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Vibrant Oceans Initiative. The deadline for submissions is January 10, 2023.

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal sovereign states. Our combined population is 2.5 billion, of which more than 60 per cent is aged 29 or under.

The Commonwealth spans the globe and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. Thirty-two of our members are small states, many of which are island nations.