Get To Know UBEC
Our Team
At UBEC, our team of field specialists and facilitators partners with farmers, fisherfolk, and rural entrepreneurs—combining hands-on experience with technical expertise to support sustainable, community-led development.
Programs and Activities
UBEC’s programs strengthen rural livelihoods and climate resilience through hands-on training, technical support, grant funding and community-led initiatives in farming, fisheries, and small enterprise.
Partnerships
UBEC partners with organizations like the OECS and The World Bank to drive inclusive, sustainable development across rural communities. Through World Bank–funded initiatives, we’ve supported farmer resilience, climate-smart practices, and entrepreneurship.
UBEC Project Overview
The Unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC) is a people-centred project aimed at revitalizing economic growth in St. Lucia through the promotion of marine and coastal resilience across key sectors such as tourism, fisheries, and waste management.
Spanning a period of five (5) years, the project endeavors to enhance climate resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness within St. Lucia’s blue economy. UBEC not only aims to strengthen the foundations of the blue economy, but also to foster cross-sectoral collaboration by strengthening linkages between relevant industries and sectors. Furthermore, the project is being implemented in the neighboring islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.
In St. Lucia, UBEC serves as the flagship body under which the Crisis Response Window (CRW), was established to provide vital assistance to the agricultural sector, in tackling the looming threat of food insecurity and mitigating the impacts of climate change on the farming and fishing industries. In order to expedite these objectives, a Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC) was activated for a one-year period, which ended on March 31st 2025.
The project’s blue economy focus is a comprehensive one, spanning the tourism, fisheries, maritime, and waste management sectors, and everyone and everything in between. From the development of a national tourism policy, to the construction and deployment of Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs), and the conducting of feasibility studies for the selection of a new landfill site in the south of the island; UBEC aims to bolster St. Lucia’s blue economy through a multi-sectoral approach.
Funding for the project is provided by the World Bank, with oversight and management entrusted to the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, and Youth Economy. The Ministry has established a Project Implementation Unit (PIU), which is responsible for the implementation and execution of all project activities. The OECS Commission, in its capacity as a regional body, has been tasked with implementing various project activities at a regional level, such as the Matching Grants Program.
UBEC officially commenced operations on January 11th, 2023, and its closing date is July 30th, 2028.
Project Components
UBEC is strategically divided into four (4) main components
Component 1
This Component aims to strengthen regional and national policies relating to climate resilience and sustainable growth. Key purposes: policy formulation, institutional coordination and capacity building.
Component 2
This Component is geared towards increasing the financing options available to businesses through direct investment, insurance coverage and grants. Key purposes: direct investment, insurance coverage and matching grants.
Component 3
Defined as the Crisis Emergency Response Component (CERC). The CERC is designed to further enhance the island’s ability to rapidly respond to a future eligible crisis, with a focus on food security and disaster mitigation. Key purposes: disaster response, food security, social and economic resilience.
Component 4
The operational arm of the project ensures effective implementation through monitoring and evaluation of activities, fiduciary administration, stakeholder engagement, and overall project management. Key purposes: operations, administration, monitoring and evaluation, financial management.