COP12 advances marine conservation agenda

DAR ES SALAAM: THE contracting parties to the Nairobi Convention have adopted a series of regional decisions to strengthen marine and coastal protection, including strategies to address plastic pollution, conserve seagrass and mangroves, and protect critical habitats.

The decisions, adopted during the 12th Conference of the Parties (COP12) to the Nairobi Convention in Dar es Salaam, seek to strengthen regional cooperation in addressing environmental threats while supporting sustainable development of the blue economy.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of the COP 12, in Dar es Salaam on Friday, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Deputy Executive Director, Ms Elizabeth Mrema said contracting parties adopted a Regional Plastic Pollution and Associated Chemical Strategy.

To drive this decision forward, they also established a Regional Technical Working Group on Marine Litter and Plastics, which will coordinate implementation efforts across the region.

Additionally, the parties called for the adoption and implementation of the Regional Contingency Plan for Preparedness and Response to Marine Pollution Incidents, strengthening the region’s collective capacity to respond to pollution emergencies.

The parties also adopted the Critical Habitats Outlook for the Western Indian Ocean, the Regional Seagrass Strategy and the Regional Mangrove Vision and Action Plan, which provide frameworks for strengthening the protection and management of important marine and coastal ecosystems.

Contracting parties also welcomed the entry into force of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement and agreed to develop a regional vision and implementation framework. This process is already underway, positioning the Western Indian Ocean as a proactive region in global ocean governance.

On Ocean Accounting and Blue Finance, the contracting parties have requested the development of a Regional Ocean Account Strategy and a Regional Ocean Account Atlas, urging countries to integrate the value of ocean and coastal resources into national development planning.

They also called for Regional Blue Finance Guidelines aligned with the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative’s Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles and endorsed the establishment of a Blue Economy Hub with a dedicated blue carbon section.

Moreover, they called for national investment pipelines for blue value chains and supported the creation of a Regional Conservation Trust Fund.

The contracting parties also committed to advancing gender equity and the participation of women and youth in the blue economy.

“These are important commitments. Now we need to translate them into action,” she said.

She said that turning decisions made at the Conferenceof the Parties into lasting impacts on land and in the ocean requires contracting parties to bridge the ocean finance gap by scaling up innovative financing mechanisms, including blue bonds, blended finance and public-private partnerships. “And we should ensure that investments reach down to the coastal communities and support local livelihoods,” she said.

She also stressed the importance of inclusive governance, noting that women, young people, small-scale fishers and local communities play a vital role in protecting and sustainably managing ocean resources.

“Their knowledge, experience, and voices must remain at the centre of the blue economy’s strategies and decisionmaking,” she said.

Ms Mrema further pointed to decisive action on pollution from source to sea, calling on contracting parties to curb marine plastics, land-based runoffs, and protect marine ecosystems that sustain livelihood and feed millions of people.

“Let us all carry this momentum generated here in Dar es Salaam back to our capitals, to our coastal communities, and to our regional institutions, and to our waters. Let us en sure that the fifth decade of the Nairobi Convention is defined not only by the strength of our commitments, but by the scale of their implementation,” she said.

She added, “And let us continue to build a Western Indian Ocean that is health, resilient, prosperous, and sustainable for the people and nature.”

The Nairobi Convention is a regional environmental agreement adopted in 1985 under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to promote the protection, management and sustainable development of the Western Indian Ocean’s marine and coastal environment.

Its ten contracting parties are Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros and France.

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