1st Regional Working Group Meeting on drafting the ICZM Protocol to the Nairobi Convention 27 – 28 September 2010, Hotel La Plantation, Balaclava, Mauritius

The Indian Ocean Commission (COI) - Regional Programme for the Sustainable Management of the Coastal Zones of the Countries of the Indian Ocean (ReCoMaP) and the Nairobi Convention Secretariat, organized the 1st Regional Working Group Meeting on the drafting of a new Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) to the Nairobi Convention, on 27 - 28 September, 2010 in Mauritius.

The meeting was in response to the Governments request as per Decision CP 6/3 which calls for ‘Strengthening Integrated Coastal Zone Management in the Western Indian Ocean Region’ ’

The objectives of this meeting was to;

a) Develop an outline of the ICZM Protocol text (content, structure, technical language, issues covered, listing of provisions);

b) Develop a road map on the drafting and negotiation process of the ICZM Protocol to be presented during the 7th Conference of the Parties of the Nairobi Convention; and

c) Assess the potential needs for support (capacity, financial, structural, legal, etc).

The meeting participants were drawn from the Nairobi Convention countries that included, Comoros, France, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania and the Republic of South Africa.

The governments had nominated two experts, a legal and a technical expert who participated in the drafting of the ICZM Protocol.