Disclaimer:
Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.
Title
Please provide a name for your action learning plan.
Blue, Green & Orange Economy Exploration & Experimentation
Challenge statement
Challenge type: If you are working on multiple challenges, please indicate if this is your "big bet" or "exploratory" challenge.
Please note: we ask you to only submit a maximum of 3 challenges - 1x Big Bet, 2x Exploratory. Each challenge must be submitted individually.
EXPLORATORY
Challenge statement: What is your challenge? (Please answer in specific terms: "Our challenge is that...”.)
Our challenge is that there is an untapped space for better convening, supporting and growing innovators while enabling the innovation ecosystem and culture in the blue, green and orange economies in the Eastern Caribbean.
Background: What is the history of your challenge? What is causing or driving it? Who is involved? How does the current situation look like? What undesired effects does it produce?
History: Although the blue, green and orange economies are not new concepts, the blue economy (BE) term is slightly newer and thus recently emerged, and in some sectors, still emerging with governments still trying to better define their vision for the BE looking at the vast opportunities and areas for regenerative growth and resilience that exist as well as the interlinkages with climate resilience. Causes / drivers: With the BE being seen as one key pathway to achieve sustainable development, a lot of pressure has been placed on Governments in the region to make the transition to a sustainable BE and what many are now referring to as a regenerative BE. However, many governments have been unable to define their vision for the BE, create policies to support this as well as further support MSMEs and innovators in the space. With many remaining knowledge and data gaps, and seemingly, many organizations working on this new blue thing, there has been a high level of duplication of work that has not resulted in implementation and action. Where there has been a level of innovation and support to innovators, much of this has been delivered to men in technology. As such, one key part of further realizing this blue green system and helping the system to reveal itself is in identifying existing solutions, areas for exploration and experimentation that could be further piloted for scale and investment while also uncovering research and data gaps and learning questions to better realize the potential of the BE. In order to be able to better convene and support the blue - green interconnected innovation ecosystem in the region, there is a need to focus on the enabling space and look to elements such as the future of work, innovation culture and brain drain that could contribute to enhanced R & D in the space with a focus on women and men. Additionally, creative and alternative means are needed in order to experiment and explore new pathways in the Blue and Green Economies, hence the additional exploration of the Orange Economy.
Quantitative evidence: What (official) data sources do you have on this challenge that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge? You can add text, a link, or a picture.
https://www.undp.org/barbados/blue-economy-scoping-studies">Blue Economy Scoping Studies | United Nations Development Programme (undp.org), https://blogs.iadb.org/ideas-matter/en/fostering-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/">Fostering Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Latin America and the Caribbean - Ideas Matter (iadb.org), https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2017/06/02/financing-innovative-smes-in-the-caribbean#:~:text=Access%20to%20adequate%20finance%20to%20launch%2C%20develop%2C%20and,capital%20and%20private%20equity%20activity%20is%20virtually%20non-existent.">Financing Innovative SMEs in the Caribbean (worldbank.org), https://www.voice-online.co.uk/news/world-news/2020/02/16/can-the-caribbean-end-its-brain-drain/">Can the Caribbean end its brain drain? - Voice Online (voice-online.co.uk), https://blogs.worldbank.org/latinamerica/unleashing-blue-economy-eastern-caribbean">Unleashing the blue economy of the Eastern Caribbean (worldbank.org), https://labsnews.com/en/articles/business/idb-lab-latin-america-potential/">The potential of the startup ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean (labsnews.com), https://www.undp.org/barbados/projects/sdg-fund-joint-programme-blue-finance">SDG Fund Joint Programme: Blue Finance | United Nations Development Programme (undp.org),
IDB: Promoting the Orange Economy for Latim America and the Caribbean: https://publications.iadb.org/en/public-policies-creativity-and-innovation-promoting-orange-economy-latin-america-and-caribbean

Qualitative evidence: What weak signals have you recently spotted that characterizes its urgency? Please provide qualitative information that better exemplifies the importance and urgency of this frontier challenge. You can add text, a link, or a picture.
https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/02/26/blue-economy-innovators-to-get-startup-funds-technical-help/#:~:text=Compete%20Caribbean%E2%80%99s%20executive%20director%2C%20Dr%20Sylvia%20Dohnert%20said,is%20to%20stimulate%20innovation%20in%20the%20private%20sector.">Blue economy innovators to get startup funds, technical help - Barbados Today, https://www.competecaribbean.org/blueeconomy-innovationchallenge/">BLUE ECONOMY INNOVATION CHALLENGE - Compete Caribbean Partnership Facility, https://www.ima.gov.tt/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/BE-Final-Call-for-Proposals-Blue-Economy-Innovation-Challenge-V3_.pdf">BE-Final-Call-for-Proposals-Blue-Economy-Innovation-Challenge-V3_.pdf (ima.gov.tt)
Island Innovation, The Orange Economy: https://islandinnovation.co/news/the-orange-economy-the-next-frontier-for-the-caribbean/
St. Lucia Star: https://stluciastar.com/the-orange-economy/
Value proposition: What added value or unique value proposition is your Accelerator Lab bringing to solving this challenge? Why is it your Lab that needs to work on this challenge and not other actors within UNDP, other stakeholders in the country respectively? Why is it worth investing resources to this challenge?
Within the Eastern Caribbean region, our office and Lab is seen as one of the leaders in the creative blue - green innovation space. We have done significant work in this space in the past and believe that our blue economy expertise and experiences are a part of our Lab legacy. As conveners and partnership generators, we have been able to support bridging the gap between innovators and banks for further capital investment as well as providing policy advice to Governments. As we solidfy our office's blue - green and orange offer, we believe that our innovation expertise including the ability to test and pilots experiments adds further value.
Short “tweet” summary: We would like to tweet what you are working on, can you summarize your challenge in a maximum of 280 characters?
Spurring creative #grassrootssolutions to #bluegreeneconomy challenges from community to cabinet.
Partners
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Governments: Governments of Barbados, Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada, British Virgin Islands
What sector does our partner belong to?
Government (&related)
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Conducting scoping studies which provide a rapid and preliminary snapshot of current blue sectors, challenges and opportunities for growth including supporting implementation of pilots (knowledge products + pilots).
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
UN (UNDP - Climate & Environment clusters), FAO, UNICEF
What sector does our partner belong to?
United Nations
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Collaboration on piloting of experiments (home aquaponics systems for PWDs; climate resilience agriculture challenge; 3D printing).
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Barbados Museum, Kalinago Council (indigenous peoples council)
What sector does our partner belong to?
Civil Society
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Barbados Museum: creation of museum of solutions; Kalinago council: capturing indigenous knowledge, wisdom and skills for climate resilience and tourism plan; private sector : innovation and entrepreneurship hubs
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
Inter - American Development Bank, Caribbean Development Bank
What sector does our partner belong to?
Private Sector
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Collaborating on existing and emerging initiatives related to the Blue and Green Economies, as well as those assisting with vulnerable communities such as PWDs.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
No
Who are your top 5 partners for this challenge? Please submit from MOST to LEAST important and state Name, Sector and a brief description of the (intended) collaboration.
Please state the name of the Parter:
The University of the West Indies, St. George's University, Samuel Jackman Prescod Institute of Technology
What sector does our partner belong to?
Academia
Please provide a brief description of the collaboration.
Research, challenges, policy briefs, data gaps, 3D Printing, identification of signals of change.
Is this a new and unusual partner for UNDP?
Yes
Learning questions
Learning question: What is your learning question for this challenge? What do you need to know or understand to work on your challenge statement?
What do the blue, green and orange economies as well as innovation systems in the Eastern Caribbean look like? Is there a connection between levels of innovation and further realizing the transition to a regenerative Eastern Caribbean? How can we uncover gaps in data, signals and trends in the blue, green and orange spaces to support an enabling environment for innovation?
To what stage(s) in the learning cycle does your learning question relate?
Explore, Test
Usage of methods: Relating to your choice above, how will you use your methods & tools for this learning question? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Systems thinking: systems thinking and systems mapping, collective intelligence and foresight will be used in stakeholder engagement during the scoping missions and studies.
Solutions mapping and prototyping will be used to identify key solutions and experiments to be further tested.
Existing data gaps: Relating to your choice above, what existing gaps in data or information do these new sources of data addressing? What value do these add in answering your learning question?
Data within the Eastern Caribbean is very limited and where it does exist, it is hard to find or access as it is highly guarded by Governments. One example of an initiative that we will be supporting is on the digital transformation of the fisheries sectors in Barbados and Dominica where we will be helping to make their catch, landings and vessel data more open through an integrated fisheries information system using tools such as Kobo toolbox etc. In addition, another key data gap in the region is the valuation of the Blue Economy. As such, we will be using new sources of data such as scientific research on the value of mangroves and seagrass meadows to capture carbon and determine the value of carbon markets.
Closing
Early leads to grow: Think about the possible grow phase for this challenge - who might benefit from your work on this challenge or who might be the champions in your country that you should inform or collaborate with early on to help you grow this challenge?
Government (Relevant Ministries of Blue and Green Economy, Nature & Environment, People Empowerment, Climate, Digital and Innovation); Civil society (indigenous and coastal communities); private sector (innovators)
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