The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) will participate in the 12th Conference of the Parties (COP12) of the Nairobi Convention, which will be held from October 6 to 9 at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Tanzania. Placed under the theme « Towards a sustainable blue economy in the Western Indian Ocean region for the populations and nature: a 40-year journey« , the conference celebrates the 40th anniversary of this regional treaty devoted to the protection of marine and coastal ecosystems. More than 500 delegates take part. The IOC delegation is led by its Secretary General, Ibrahim Norbert Richard.
A key partner
Adopted in 1985 under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme and entered into force in 1996, the Nairobi Convention brings together ten States Parties, including the five member states of the IOC. For 30 years, the COI has been a key partner and the two secretariats have maintained a strong working relationship. This translates into several IOC projects, including the ongoing projects RECOS (IOC project devoted to the integrated management of coastal areas), ExPLOI (dedicated to plastic pollution) and Safe Seas Africa (SSA, a project dedicated to maritime safety and preparedness for emergencies at sea).
As Ibrahim Norbert Richard explains: « In Dar es Salaam, we will call for the ratification and implementation of the GIZC protocol, the adoption of the regional strategy on plastics and that of the regional contingency plan. The preservation of the ocean, resilience to climate change and the financing of the blue economy are part of the IOC’s actions and materializes through its partnerships and projects. Our island states are first and foremost oceanic states. »
Three priorities supported by the IOC
The COP12 agenda includes three priority topics, each with the expertise of an IOC project:
• The regional protocol on integrated coastal zone management (GIZC), at the time of its ratification and implementation, supported by the RECOS project, co-financed by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the French Global Environment Fund (FFEM).
• The regional strategy on plastic pollution and associated chemicals, supported by the ExpLOI project, also co-financed by AFD and FFEM.
• The regional contingency plan, supported by the Safe Seas Africa project, funded by the European Union.
An active presence on the conference program
On October 7, the IOC is organizing two parallel events. The first, at the initiative of the RECOS project, will focus on island solutions to climate change and the ocean-climate link from the perspective of the GIZC (« From Nexus to Action« ). The second, carried out by the ExpLOI project with the Nairobi Convention Secretariat and the GEF-ISLANDS project of the United Nations Development Program, will deal with the alignment of governance levels in the service of a circular plastics economy.
The IOC also contributes to other sessions, as a co-organizer or panelist, on blue finance, marine ecosystems and fisheries. The Secretary-General will speak on October 7 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 participate on 8 October in the ministerial round table on regional cooperation for the management of shared resources, as well as the high-level plenary session.
The IOC’s participation in COP12 is part of the IOC Horizon 2030 program, co-financed by AFD and the European Union, as well as the activities of the RECOS, ExpLOI and SSA projects.
