Type Convention Location Nairobi, Kenya | Context Marine conservation | |
Drafted June 21, 1985 (1985-06-21) Effective May 30, 1996 (1996-05-30) Parties Comoros
France
Kenya
Madagascar
Mauritius
Mozambique
Seychelles
Somalia
Tanzania
South Africa | ||
The Convention of the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Eastern African Region or Nairobi Convention of 1985 is a regional framework agreement for marine environmental management.
Contents
It is implemented by the Consortium for Conservation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO-C) in coordination with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) as well as non-governmental organizations such as World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA).
An amended convention was concluded in 2010, but it has not yet entered into force.
History of the Convention
The Convention was created on June 21, 1985 with the goal of fostering cooperation between governments, NGOs, and the private sector within Southern Africa to prevent further degradation of the marine environment of the West Indian Ocean. The Convention first met in accordance with U.N. Resolution 2997 in an attempt to create a more comprehensive and informed environmental policy for the region. The major goals of The Convention were to foster economic growth and development while at the same time minimizing negative environmental impact. The original resolution was put into affect in on May 30, 1996, but was amended on March 31, 2010. The amendments, which have not yet entered enforcement, were designed to improve the framework of the original convention and allow the Convention to have a greater, more unified impact on the environmental policies of the participating nations Currently the Convention meets every two years in Nairobi, Kenya. The Convention has secured over $78 million in investment funding for conservation projects between 2004 and 2007.
Current projects
A current major project of the Convention is the identification and removal of shipwrecks along the coast of the Convention Region. The Convention noted in its 2007 meeting that because of the expensive and dangerous nature of shipwreck removal, wrecks that had run aground on participating nations shorelines were often abandoned without being properly decommissioned. This caused large amounts of hazardous materials, such as diesel fuel, to enter into the regional marine environment. The Convention resolved to make shipowners liable if their ships run aground as well as create a comprehensive network to identify and report abandoned ships for removal or proper decommissioning and sinking. In furtherance of these goals, the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks was concluded. This new convention entered into effect on 14 April 2015.
At its most recent meeting, the Convention resolved to create universal waste discharge standards for the coastal nations to ensure a uniformed environmental policy for the region. Because of both the size and diversity of the nations participating in the Convention there has been uneven levels of regulation between the nations, which has led to a less than ideal reduction in land based pollution entering the Western Indian Ocean. The Convention helped to develop comprehensive regulation and testing systems for its nations participating in the Convention in 2009, but the regulations have not yet come into force.