Western Indian Ocean (WIO) Regional Task Forces and Forums
WIO-C is a consortium of international and regional Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in partnership with intergovernmental organizations that have presence and are active in regional marine and coastal ecosystem management in the WIO region. It was established during the impelementation of the project on ‘Addressing Land Based activities in the Western Indian Ocean (WIOLaB) to provide a framework for NGOs working in the WIO region to harmonize and advance efforts to protect, conserve, and manage the coastal and marine environment of the WIO region while working to alleviate poverty and attain sustainable livelihoods for the most vulnerable segments of its population. It also aims to support synergy in programmes of work on marine and coastal ecosystem management and promote knowledge and information sharing amongst stakeholders in the WIO region, as well as provide a mechanism for non-governmental entities to anchor activities in the Nairobi Convention and other intergovernmental processes, thus strengthening their implementation.
The main objective of the Group is to provide a forum for sharing and exchange of information; provide policy guidance and advice to the Nairobi Convention and other regional frameworks; and synthesize information on the topic from different sources and produce peer-reviewed publications and other products. The Group’s work is planned to be completed in three years or less.
There is a need for improved regional cooperation to establish a consistent and appropriate definition of MSP that will best serve the needs of the countries within the WIO. This is aligned with two decisions of the 8th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Nairobi Convention that was held in Seychelles during June 2015:
i. Decision CP8/10: Blue and Ocean Economy (4) “To urge Contracting Parties to cooperate in improving the governance of areas beyond national jurisdiction, building on existing regional institutions including the Nairobi Convention and developing area based management tools such as marine spatial planning to promote the blue economy pathways in the Western Indian Ocean Region.”
Click here for the full list of WIO Regional Ocean Governance Task Force Members
§ Support the review of concepts and proposals submitted to the PMU for funding including giving technical support for the improvement of proposals considered viable for funding;
§ Facilitate the development of a coherent regional vision and strategy for work on municipal wastewater management within the context of environmentally sustainable development;
§ Encourage each country to build a constituency for work on WWM among formal and informal stakeholders, including governments, management authorities, private sector, communities and encourage dialogue between collaborators;
The overall responsibility of the Regional Task Force on River Flows (RTF-RFs) is to support the PMU in the effective implementation of activities defined in Component C of the Programme, while specific responsibilities will be to:
§ Support the review of concepts and proposals submitted to the PMU for funding including giving technical support for the improvement of proposals considered viable for funding;
§ Facilitate the development of a coherent regional vision and strategy for work on river flow management within the context of environmentally sustainable development;