The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), has launched the “Smart Caribbean Legislation” Project during the Fifth Regional Meeting of Directors and Heads of Maritime Administrations held in Georgetown, Guyana.
The project aims to enhance maritime legislation and regulatory frameworks across the Caribbean region, benefiting 14 participating states.
The two-year project seeks to strengthen policy alignment and institutional capacity-building in participating countries, enabling them to ratify priority IMO instruments, incorporate them into national legislation, and effectively implement and enforce them. It will also support the drafting of maritime legislation and the enhancement of national maritime policy strategies in coordination with the IMO Regional Presence Office.
Speaking during the meeting, Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization, Eng. Kamal Al-Junaidi, stated that “the sea plays a pivotal role in this region; it is not merely a backdrop to life, but life itself.”
He noted that the Kingdom recognizes this reality through its own experience and believes that the prosperity of Caribbean nations is closely linked to the safety, security, and sustainability of their seas. He emphasized the shared responsibility of ensuring that these waters remain safe, clean, and accessible for future generations.
Eng. Al-Junaidi explained that the core principle behind the project stems from the belief that international conventions, regardless of their ambition, cannot achieve meaningful impact unless they are translated into enforceable national legislation. He added that the “Smart Caribbean Legislation” Project serves as a bridge between policy and implementation, transforming international standards into practical and enforceable national legal frameworks.
He further reaffirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting participating states and called for active engagement and the identification of national priorities. He expressed hope that the project would deliver tangible outcomes, including stronger legislation, more efficient institutions, and higher levels of compliance, thereby enabling Caribbean countries to play their full role in global maritime governance.
The beneficiary states of the “Smart Caribbean Legislation” Project are Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
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