Integrated management of coastal areas, fight against plastic pollution, maritime safety and financing of the blue economy: at COP12*, the Indian Ocean Commission has several priorities to strengthen the resilience of the Western Indian Ocean.
Under the theme « Towards a sustainable blue economy in the West Indian Ocean region for people and nature: a 40-year journey », COP12 brings together more than 500 delegates and marks the 40th anniversary of the Nairobi Convention, adopted in 1985 under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
A privileged partner of the Convention, the IOC is represented by a delegation led by its Secretary General, Dr. Ibrahim Norbert Richard. For thirty years, the two organizations have maintained close cooperation, in particular through several regional IOC projects, including RECOS, ExPLOI and Safe Seas Africa.
Three priorities for the western Indian Ocean
The IOC intends to actively contribute to the work of COP12 on three major issues.
The first concerns the Regional Protocol on Integrated Coastal Area Management (GIZC), the ratification and implementation of which are a priority. The RECOS project, co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Global Environment Fund (FFEM), supports this dynamic.
The second concerns plastic pollution and associated chemicals, with the support of the ExPLOI project, also co-financed by AFD and FFEM.
Finally, the IOC supports work on the regional contingency plan through the Safe Seas Africa project, funded by the European Union.
For Dr. Ibrahim Norbert Richard, COP12 is « a moment of assessment and ambition for the Western Indian Ocean » as the Convention celebrates its 40th anniversary. He emphasizes that the preservation of the ocean, resilience to climate change and the financing of the blue economy are at the heart of the IOC’s action.
An active presence on the COP12 program
This Wednesday, October 7, the COI organizes two parallel events. The first, carried by RECOS, will be devoted to island solutions to climate change and the ocean-climate link, with a view to integrated coastal management.
The second, organized by ExPLOI with the Nairobi Convention Secretariat and the UNDP’s GEF-ISLANDS project, will focus on the alignment of the different levels of governance in favor of a circular plastics economy.
The IOC will also participate in several sessions on blue finance, marine ecosystems and fisheries. Its Secretary General will speak in particular at the event dedicated to the Blue Finance Hub, a regional platform being created in Mauritius to mobilize investment in favor of the blue economy. He will also participate, on October 8, in the ministerial round table on regional cooperation for the management of shared resources as well as in the high-level plenary session.
« Our island states are first and foremost oceanic states, » recalls Dr. Ibrahim Norbert Richard. Through its participation in COP12, the IOC intends to share its island and oceanic experience, enhance regional initiatives and strengthen dialogue between decision-makers, scientists and field actors.
