Meeting of the Special Session of the Regional State of Coast Report during the 9th Science Symposium of WIOMSA

In Decision CP7/15.1, Contribution to the United Nations Regular Process, Contracting Parties to the Nairobi Convention agreed to support and actively contribute to the United Nations Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, Including Socio-economic Aspects by nominating national experts or institutions to be part of the Pool of Experts and by providing the necessary information for the process and the assessment of marine environment.

Pursuant to decision CP7/15, the Secretariat contracted the Western Indian Ocean Marine Scientists Association (WIOMSA) to prepare the first Regional State of Coast Report for the Western Indian Ocean region. 2. In realization of decision CP7/15, the first Regional State of Coast Report (RSCOR) for the Western Indian Ocean was launched on 21 June 2015 during the Eighth Conference of Parties to the Nairobi Convention (COP8) that was held on 22-24 June 2015 in Mahe, Seychelles.

The report was launched by the Executive Director of UNEP, Mr. Achim Steiner, and the Minister for Environment, Energy and Climate Change of Seychelles, Hon. Didier Dogley. 3. Subsequent to the launch of the RSCOR report, the Nairobi Convention Secretariat and WIOMSA organized a Special Session to discuss ways to develop and further disseminate key messages from the report to different audiences in the Western Indian Ocean region.