CONTEXT

Expertise France is the public agency for the design and implementation of international technical cooperation projects. The agency operates around four priority areas: 
•    democratic, economic and financial governance; 
•    peace, stability and security; 
•    climate, biodiversity and sustainable development;
•    health and human development. 
In these areas, Expertise France engineers and implements capacity-building projects, mobilizes technical expertise and coordinates projects involving public expertise and private know-how. 
With a volume of activity of 324 million euros and over 500 projects in its portfolio in around 100 countries, Expertise France's action is part of France's policy of solidarity, influence and economic diplomacy.
In the Caribbean, Expertise France is mainly involved in regional projects to support governments in fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity.
Launched in 2023 following the success of “Euroclima” in Latin America, the “Euroclima Caribbean” program contributes to the region's green transition through climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts as well as the protection and conservation of biological diversity in the Caribbean. 
Expertise France also implements the “RESEMBID” program in the region, which promotes resilience, sustainable energy and marine biodiversity, as well as the “Green Overseas” program aiming to accelerate the energy transition and increase the climate resilience of overseas countries and territories.
Funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), the Sargassum regional management and coordination project aims to foster regional cooperation dynamics in the Caribbean and support small island developing states in structuring a framework for the management and valorisation of sargassum. 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The aim of the project is to minimize and limit the negative impacts of stranded sargassum on local economies, communities and coastal ecosystems. To achieve this, the project consists of three main components and a cross-cutting component:
1.    Strengthen regional cooperation in the Caribbean on sargassum planning and management approaches, contributing to the development of joint advocacy. This component aims to engage communities of practice and capitalize on the experiences and knowledge developed at all levels of the sargassum management chain: prediction and monitoring of sargassum drifts, collection methods, pretreatment and characterization of sargassum components, transport, storage, and their valorization into marketable products.
2.    Assist small island states of the Caribbean (Saint Lucia, Grenada, Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) to implement integrated sargassum management and valorisation operations. In partnership with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), this component aims to strengthen the capacities of public and private actors in sargassum management operations. This component will enable the definition and deployment of a roadmap for the management of collection operations, through training and equipment of the personnel involved. It will also allow the development of early warning mechanisms for coastal communities and coordination with transporters, as well as the development of suitable pretreatment systems, and biomass storage at secure sites. To support private actors in the structuring of sargassum value chains, the project will launch a call for projects in the 4 targeted islands.
3.    Support regional scientific cooperation to maximize global understanding of the sargassum phenomenon and feed into the framing of research-based public policies. The project will deploy a collective expertise network to bring together a group of scientists and experts from different Caribbean research centres to mobilize all knowledge and build scientific consensus on the complex issues around sargassum. In addition, the project will launch a call for research projects to strengthen regional dynamics around scientific cooperation and the implementation of concrete solutions adapted to the Caribbean context.

The project also includes a cross-cutting gender outcome, aiming to integrate gender into the integrative management operations of sargassum.

The main implementing partners for the project will be: 
•    The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States: a direct grant will be awarded to the OECS for the implementation of certain activities under Component 2 and Component 1, focusing on strengthening public policy on sargassum, governance and the technical and equipment capacities of public actors working on sargassum.
•    Private or public-private actors involved in the sargassum management/valorisation sector on the 4 islands supported under Component 2 of the project. They will receive grants via a Call for Projects for the development of sustainable economic models for the management and valorisation of sargassum. 
•    The French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), which will provide a summary of scientific knowledge to date on sargassum (Collective Scientific Expertise mechanism) and producing science-based recommendations for political decision-makers.
•    The laboratories and research centres of the various research hubs in the Caribbean and Central America, which will receive grants following a Call for research projects under the Component 3

THE PROJECT TEAM

A specific team will be deployed in Fort-de-France and Saint Lucia. It will consist of:

•    In Fort-de-France, Martinique: 
o    Team Leader in charge of the project technical and operational management 
o    Sargassum value chain manager (Component 2)
o    Grants Officer
o    Scientific knowledge building and learning officer 
o    Administrative and Financial officer or manager 
o    Purchase and logistic assistant

•    In Saint Lucia:
o    Sargassum project officer to the OECS (ESD)

•    Short term expertise based in the Caribbean: 
o    An expert in Environmental and Social Risk Management (this position)
o    A MEAL expert
o    A Gender expert