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Nairobi Convention COP 5
Meeting
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Nairobi Convention Secretariat
Recognizing the environmental
uniqueness of the coastal and marine environment
of the region, the threats and the necessity for
action, the countries of the Western Indian Ocean
region requested UNEP to create a regional seas
programme for the region. UNEP's Governing Council
decision 8/13C of 29 April 1980 created the Eastern
African Regional Seas Programme and further requested
UNEP to assist the Governments of the region to
formulate and implement a programme for the proper
management and conservation of marine and coastal
resources. Subsequent to the 8th session of the
Governing Council of 1980, UNEP supported the
development of the Eastern African Action Plan,
and a Convention on the Protection and Development
of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Eastern
African Region (Nairobi Convention).
The countries of the region met
in 1985, to adopt an action plan for the protection
and development of the marine and coastal environment
of the Eastern African region. In addition, they
signed the Convention and its two protocols concerning
collaboration in combating pollution in cases
of emergency, and concerning protected areas and
wild fauna and flora. The Convention and its two
protocols entered into force on 30 May 1996 and
were ratified by all the signatory countries in
1999, and by South Africa in 2002.
In the last four years (2004-2007),
the Nairobi Convention has been able to leverage
resources from various sources, including US$3.4million
from the Norwegian government and US$4.2million
from the GEF for the WIO-LaB project, a project
implemented by the Joint Secretariat of the Abidjan
and Nairobi Conventions and focusing on the degradation
of the marine and coastal environment in the Western
Indian Ocean due to land based activities. Sida
has been a very consistent partner in the Western
Indian Ocean region and in the last four years
has supported the Convention with US$1.3million.
Five governments from the eastern African region
have consistently contributed to the Nairobi Convention’s
East Africa Trust Fund, to a total of US$566,000
over the 2004-2007 period. Large marine ecosystems
(LME) have also been used as the frameworks for
GEF-funded projects which address a cross-cutting
range of transboundary coastal and marine environmental
issues. It is these achievements that the Joint
COP hopes to build upon.
Nairobi Convention COP
5 Meeting
The Joint Secretariat of the
Nairobi and Abidjan Conventions for the Protection,
Management and Development of the Coastal and
Marine Environment of the Western and Eastern
African Regions, is pleased to announce the Joint
Conference of Parties (COP) organized in
collaboration with the New Partnership for African
Development (NEPAD) and hosted by South Africa.
The theme of the Joint Conference
is 'Building on Success', focusing on the progress
and successes achieved by governments, key partners
and stakeholders towards the implementation of
the work programmes of the two Conventions and
the NEPAD Action Plan for the Environment.
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