Atlantic Ocean Regional Office

Based in Fort de France, the Atlantic Ocean Regional Office covers 16 Caribbean territories. The Department is represented by its agencies or representation offices in the three French overseas departments Guadeloupe,  Martinique, and French Guiana, the two overseas collectivities Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, and the three states  Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Suriname, which is also responsible for Guyana. Saint Pierre and Miquelon are covered by the regional office in Martinique.

The Atlantic Ocean Regional Office develops cooperation activities aimed at pooling resources, limiting the spread of negative externalities and sharing expertise on subjects of common interest.

In terms of climate and the environment, this area of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is on the frontline in facing the consequences of climate change. The region is home to outstanding land and marine biodiversity, but it also faces all natural risks. It is characterized by cultural, political, institutional and commercial fragmentation but also by strong economic disparities. 

These common challenges encourage regional development to bring territories together and help improve living conditions for populations. AFD Group has four objectives in its operations in the Atlantic Ocean region:

Actions to preserve biological diversity and help people adapt to climate change in these vulnerable territories

AFD Group’s activities seek to protect, promote and sustainably manage natural resources, biodiversity and ecosystems to strengthen resilience in the region. For this, we rely on key partnerships with Office de l’Eau Martinique, Parc Amazonien de Guyane, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), the Caribbean Development Bank, the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, and the French Biodiversity Agency. Projects include the promotion of nature-based solutions (CARIBSAN Project), sargassum control (Sargassum Project), mangrove preservation (OECS Mangroves Project), and plastic recycling (OECS Recycle Project).

To improve people’s adaptability to climate change, AFD Group also contributes to reflections on transition, by helping to link together knowledge, prevention, preparedness, and action. AFD helps ensure food security in the Caribbean by bolstering sustainable agricultural practices.

Regional initiatives to strengthen people’s health security

Improving the health of vulnerable people is one of the focuses of the Atlantic Ocean Regional Office. To do so, it uses a regional approach that includes the French Overseas Territories and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA). The One Health initiative links together human, animal, and environmental health to reduce health inequalities and prevent vector-borne diseases. Its partners include the Platform for the Americas and the Caribbean (PIRAC), the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD).

The Atlantic Ocean Regional Office also promotes capacity building for health facilities and access to care. For this, it works with health agencies and hospitals in its areas of operations, by supporting, for example, projects to build hospitals in Haiti and French Guiana. Maternal and child health is also a priority, with projects such as Timama in Haiti. This work seeks to ensure better regional and global health security.

Greater mainstreaming of gender and human dignity

The Atlantic Ocean Regional Office strives to mainstream gender and human dignity issues into all its projects. This is done to fight injustice suffered by vulnerable people, in particular women, children, and exiles. Partnerships with organizations such as CCFD-Terre Solidaire and Konbit Nasyonal in Haiti will be strengthened. Projects such as POTO MITAN, which supports isolated women in Awala-Yalimapo, are illustrative of this commitment. The Atlantic Ocean Regional Office also seeks to improve basic services such as water, food security, health care, and energy for disadvantaged people.

Support for young people in vocational integration, student mobility, and consolidation of intergenerational links

To boost social cohesion in the Caribbean and the Guiana Shield, the Atlantic Ocean Regional Office supports young people through vocational integration, student mobility, and the strengthening of intergenerational links. The creation of multilingual and inclusive spaces via academic and professional exchanges will bolster regional links. Social cohesion will be fostered by arts, culture, and social enterprises, via projects such as TANBOU and the creation of a national museum in Saint Lucia. Vocational integration will be optimized through support for education and training. AFD Group additionally supports efforts led by ESS France Overseas to organize the growing social and solidarity momentum in the region. These objectives are fully in line with our “100% SDG” commitment, by which each activity supported by AFD Group contributes to the three pillars of social links, the planet, and democracy. Regional projects will also be aligned with the “100% Paris Agreement” commitment by which all projects financed by AFD must contribute to a resilient and low-carbon development trajectory. In particular, AFD Group will seek to maximize the climate co-benefits of the operations it finances in adaptation, mitigation, and preservation of biodiversity.