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Background

The Global Seaweed Coalition (GSC) is an innovative global partnership aimed at developing a safe and sustainable food source that contributes to reducing the impact of hunger and foodborne disease. Established with funding from Lloyd’s Register Foundation, the Coalition will improve safety knowledge and expertise, develop new funding initiatives and influence policymakers, regulators and consumers.

1. Ethical charter

1.1. Members undertake to act with complete integrity in all circumstances, whether within or outside the Coalition.

1.2. Members shall endeavour to participate actively in the life of the Coalition and work towards the achievement of its purpose.

1.3. Members shall refrain from damaging in any way the reputation, image and interests of the Coalition and other members. Membership does not imply endorsement by the Coalition.

1.4. Members shall strictly respect the confidentiality of any non-public information that they may obtain about the coalition and other members.

1.5. Members shall not divulge the contact details of other members and their representatives and shall not use them for purposes unrelated to that of the coalition. In particular, they undertake not to make any commercial use of them and to not use them or allow them to be used for canvassing and canvassing purposes.

1.6. Members shall not act or speak in the name of the Coalition without the express written authorisation of the Secretariat.

1.7. Members and their representatives shall take all appropriate measures to prevent and avoid any conflict of interest.

1.8. The members shall inform the Secretariat as soon as possible of any potential conflict of interest and generally of any difficulty that may arise in relation to the Coalition.

1.9. Membership is individual. The companies presented on the GSC platform and their activities can in no way be considered as endorsed by the Coalition.

2. Governance of the Global Seaweed Coalition

2.1. Coalition Secretariat Team

2.1.1. Description

The Secretariat takes care of the day-to-day management of the Coalition.

2.1.2. Responsibilities

Driving membership through stakeholder engagement and advocacy, for communications to and between members, and administration of all aspects of the Coalition.

2.2. The leadership committee

The Leadership Committee is composed of representatives of the founding organizations of the GSC: UN Global Compact, Lloyd’s Register Foundation, and the French National Research Centre CNRS.

2.3. Advisory Councils

Two advisory bodies provide complementary guidance:

The Scientific Council, which is composed of independent academic researchers, each an expert in their field of expertise in the seaweed value chain, including those who can contribute Indigenous knowledge. The main objective of this Council is to provide a scientific vision for the seaweed sector through advice on GSC activities and more broadly by providing a platform for the generation and dissemination of knowledge about seaweed.

The Scientific Council is responsible for:

• Evaluating project proposals received during Calls for Proposals, providing expert opinions as to the feasibility and practicability of the proposed projects, and preparing an annotated ranked list of recommendations for project financing.
• Providing scientific guidance on seaweed research within the framework of the GSC.
• Supporting the GSC in organizing periodic events and colloquia to highlight topics of strategic scientific relevance to the sector.
• Carrying out periodic ethical reflections on ongoing developments of the algae sector.
• Providing scientific guidelines to be supported by the GSC through its funding and advocacy.
• Cooperating to write position and/or perspectives papers in journals with high scientific impact.
• Monitoring and assessing the projects funded by the GSC, with the support of the Scientific Officer.

The Strategic Advisory Council comprises representatives from our partners and all parts of the seaweed value chain, in fields such as economics, finance, environment, climate, food systems, project implementation, etc. Members are drawn from value chain organizations (including organizations representing small-scale and Indigenous actors), international organizations, academia, governments, Coalition financiers, etc. This Council furnishes perspectives and guidance on seaweed and its role in the global economy, society, and environment in complement to the Scientific Council’s broad and deep scientific knowledge of the seaweed sector.

The Strategic Advisory Council is responsible for:

• Providing strategic guidance and perspectives on global developments and opportunities relevant to the seaweed sector.
• Providing strategic input to the definition of the annual objectives of the GSC.
• Developing policy recommendations regarding the seaweed sector for GSC promotion and support.
• Identifying high strategic impact events and fora for GSC participation.
• Providing strategic input on topics to be covered by periodic Calls for Proposals. Selected members may also contribute to the evaluation process for Calls for Proposals.
• Contributing to impact assessments of projects and the GSC.

2.4. Working groups, Call for proposals, and General assembly

2.4.1 Working groups

The Global Seaweed Coalition is a members-driven coalition. Members will be invited to participate in working groups and round tables following their expertise and knowledge in the seaweed value chain in order to constitute an action plan that will be assessed by the advisory bodies and voted to application by the Leadership Committee.

2.4.2. Call for proposals

The GSC undertakes to publish call for proposals, to which only members of the Coalition can apply.
The themes of the calls for projects will be the result of the consultation of the working groups, round tables, and advisory bodies, and validated by the Steering Committee.

2.4.3 General assembly

The GSC will organize a general assembly every year. This general assembly will bring together all the GSC’s governance, as well as members who wish to attend. This general assembly is intended to be a high point where the actions and achievements of the Coalition will be exposed and discussed.

3. Membership

All applications for membership must be made through the website of the coalition : www.globalseaweedcoalition.org, in the “member area” section, by signing this document.
The secretariat will moderate any new applications for membership and provide an answer within 48 hours.
The Secretariat shall pay particular attention to ensuring that new members are seaweed stakeholders of good character and competence and are motivated by the desire to work towards achieving the Coalition’s purpose.
The Secretariat may admit any natural or legal person as a new member.
The membership fees are free for the first three years. They will have a vocation to be modified after the 17th of March 2024. The members will be duly notified prior to any modification that leads to a change of financial contribution.

4. Rules governing the internal regulations.

The internal regulations come into force upon adoption by the Secretariat team. It is made available on the coalition’s website (www.globalseaweedcoalition.org).
It is compulsory in all its elements for all members of our coalition. No stipulation of the internal regulations may have the effect of contradicting the statutory stipulations which must prevail in all circumstances.

By agreeing to this document and clicking “Become a member”, you will become a member of the Global Seaweed Coalition and accept to comply with the rules mentioned.