At the 3rd EU–Caribbean Global Gateway Conference on Sargassum, held on 8 October 2025 in Brussels, Belgium, Honourable Kerryne James, Minister for Climate Resilience, the Environment, and Renewable Energy of Grenada, delivered a strategic intervention championing inclusive, community-based, and people-centred approaches to addressing the persistent sargassum challenge affecting the Caribbean.
Minister James underscored that sustainable solutions to sargassum management must go beyond technical innovation and investment to embrace social inclusion and community empowerment. She stressed that effective sargassum strategies must prioritise the participation of women, youth, and coastal communities, ensuring that all benefit from emerging opportunities within the evolving blue-green economy.
“The sargassum crisis is not only an environmental issue it is a test of how inclusive our development pathways truly are,” Minister James asserted. “We must empower our people, particularly our youth and women, to be at the heart of the innovation and enterprise that will define a resilient Grenada and the Caribbean.”
Highlighting Grenada’s leadership in advancing sargassum valorisation, Minister James outlined national efforts to develop a comprehensive action plan for the sustainable collection, storage, and transformation of sargassum into high-value products such as fertilisers, bioenergy, and construction materials. She emphasised that this innovative model is designed to create employment opportunities, strengthen local livelihoods, and promote equitable participation across sectors, ensuring that the benefits of sargassum management are shared widely among Caribbean communities.
“Our vision is to turn this environmental challenge into an opportunity for inclusive growth,” she said. “We are committed to ensuring that no one is left behind as we build a sustainable blue economy.”
Minister James also called for greater regional cooperation and international support, urging that investments under the EU–LAC Global Gateway Investment Agenda (GGIA) focus on initiatives that promote equity, innovation, and capacity-building in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
During a high-level panel discussion, Minister Kerryne James echoed Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell’s earlier call for scalable, action-oriented partnerships to transform sargassum from a regional burden into a catalyst for resilience, innovation, and inclusive economic growth.
Her intervention reaffirmed Grenada’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that the global response to the sargassum phenomenon remains inclusive, equitable, and transformative – reflecting the nation’s leadership in advancing climate resilience and sustainable development across the Caribbean.
Ministry of Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy
