Abidjan Convention Protocol Concerning Cooperation In Combating Pollution in Cases of Emergency.
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The United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) are organizing a meeting
of legal and technical experts aimed at providing
technical and legal inputs into the draft amendments
to the Abidjan Convention - Emergency Protocol
in Cases of Emergency which is undergoing a review
process.
Introduction
Since the adoption of both the Abidjan and the
Nairobi Conventions in 1981 and 1985 respectively,
a number of developments had taken place. The
International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness,
Response and Co-operation (OPRC 90) and the OPRC-HNS
Protocol 2000 were adopted; some of the emergency
protocols in other regional seas have been revised
or are in the process of being revised.
Furthermore, experience has been
gained in the application of the emergency protocols
under the Abidjan and Nairobi Conventions.
In this connection, the conclusions
of the Ministerial Conference on Co-operation
for the Development and Protection of the Marine
and Coastal Environment in Sub-Saharan Africa
held in Cape Town in December 1998, called for
an examination of the need to revise the Emergency
Protocols to both Conventions as one of the major
steps to be taken by UNEP, in co-operation with
IMO, in the revitalization process of both the
Abidjan and Nairobi Conventions.
Action taken so far
As a result, joint UNEP/IMO experts meetings on
the extent of and possible revision of the
Emergency Protocols to the Abidjan and Nairobi
Conventions were organized in Accra, Ghana in
2000 and in Maputo, Mozambique in 2001 respectively.
Both meetings concluded on the need for the Contracting
Parties to the Conventions to start the revision
process of their respective Emergency Protocols.
The first meeting of the Legal
and Technical Experts on the revision of the Emergency
Protocol to the Abidjan Convention was organized
under the GEF-funded Guinea Current Large Marine
Ecosystem (GCLME) Project in August 2007 in Accra,
Ghana. Based on the experience gained in the revision
of a similar protocol for the Mediterranean Sea
under the Barcelona Convention, IMO prepared a
draft revised "stand - alone" Protocol,
which was extended to include aspects of marine
pollution prevention.
The August 2007 Ghana Meeting,
after having agreed on the substantive changes
to be made to the existing Emergency Protocol
to the Convention, considered options on how to
move forward to adopt and bring into force the
revised Emergency Protocol. Two options were considered:
- to adopt a new Protocol, following the precedent
of the Protocol to the Barcelona Convention.
In this case, the new Protocol would be adopted
by a diplomatic Conference. The Meeting concluded
that the procedure to adopt a "new" Protocol
could be a lengthy and costly process; or
- to adopt amendments to the existing Protocol.
In this case, it was felt that this process
would be more conducive and with less additional
costs as the amendments could be adopted by
an Ordinary meeting of the Contracting Parties
The Meeting showed a preference for option 2.
However given that the conclusions of the Legal
and Technical Experts' Meeting are advisory in
nature, the opinion of IMO was also sought. IMO
seeks to inform the present Meeting on the progress
to date on actions taken and in particular to
provide advice on the way forward with regard
to the process of adoption and subsequent entry
into force of a revised text of the Emergency
Protocol.
Date and Venue
6 November 2009, Yaounde Cameroon
Background documents
For further information,
please contact
The Abidjan Convention Secretariat
Division of Environmental Policy Implementation
(DEPI)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
P.O.Box 30552
Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: (254 20) 762 3130/4288
Fax: (254 20) 762 3794
Email: abidjan.convention@unep.org
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