The 5th and last Steering Committee of the Regional Programme for the Sustainable Management of the Coastal Zones of the Indian Ocean (ReCoMap) was held on 27 and 28 July 2011 at the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) Secretariat in Quatre Bornes, Mauritius. The opening remarks were done by the Secretary General of the IOC, Mr. Callixte d'Offay, the Chief Divisional Environment Officer on behalf of the Director of the Department of Environment and Sustainable Development of Mauritius, Mr. Rajiv Beedassy, and the Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the EU Delegation, Mr. José Morgado. The meeting was attended by Government representatives of Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Kenya, and Tanzania, as well as a representative of the Inter Regional Coordination Committee regrouping the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC), Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and IOC which all share a common envelope for the 10th European Development Fund regional envelope for the Eastern and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region.
In his welcome address, Mr. J. Morgado commended the key role of the Indian Ocean Commission in spearheading this important programme and its continued commitment to its effective implementation. He also stated that environment and preservation of biodiversity are key priorities of EU development policy and that EU will continue supporting countries of the region for enhanced cooperation in this area.
The ReCoMaP (or ProGeCo in French) is a 18 million euro-worth programme, funded under the 9th European Development Fund, which has been developed within the framework of the longstanding cooperation between the European Commission and the Indian Ocean Commission. Implemented by the IOC Secretariat since mid-2006, the programme is designed to address the sustainable management of the resources of the coastal zones of the ACP Island and coastal states of the South West Indian Ocean. The focus countries under the programme are Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania & Somalia.
The Programme will come to its end in December 2011. Its main achievements are:
For more information, please visit:
In his welcome address, Mr. J. Morgado commended the key role of the Indian Ocean Commission in spearheading this important programme and its continued commitment to its effective implementation. He also stated that environment and preservation of biodiversity are key priorities of EU development policy and that EU will continue supporting countries of the region for enhanced cooperation in this area.
The ReCoMaP (or ProGeCo in French) is a 18 million euro-worth programme, funded under the 9th European Development Fund, which has been developed within the framework of the longstanding cooperation between the European Commission and the Indian Ocean Commission. Implemented by the IOC Secretariat since mid-2006, the programme is designed to address the sustainable management of the resources of the coastal zones of the ACP Island and coastal states of the South West Indian Ocean. The focus countries under the programme are Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania & Somalia.
 |
| Participants |
- The establishment of the regional collaboration of countries of the region for the elaboration of an Integrated Coastal Zones Management Protocol to the Nairobi Convention on the Protection and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Eastern African Region. With the presentation of the Protocol to the next Conference of Parties of the Nairobi Convention scheduled in 2012, the IOC could have an opportunity to play a key role to ensure sustainability of the actions undertaken under ReCoMaP and further promote regional cooperation in the area of coastal and marine conservation and management.
- The organisation of national school contests as important vehicles for raising public awareness, particularly amongst the youngest. The school contests targeted a total of 13 000 children and hundreds of teachers who have been trained on coastal zones issues. 35 000 pedagogical booklets, produced with selected drawings and essays of primary and secondary students, have been distributed to schools of the region.
The website of the programme, which is being transferred to the IOC portal currently being developed, had more than 3 million visits on a monthly basis, which is a sign of the strong interest in the numerous training materials on Integrated Coastal Zones Management and the various technical guides (waste management, preparing and managing projects under Calls for Proposals) produced under the programme.
- EU Delegation to Mauritius website
- Indian Ocean Commission website
