6 July 2011: The Global Islands Partnership (GLISPA), together with the Seychelles Department of Environment and the University of the Seychelles, convened a seminar on the launch of the Western Indian Ocean Coastal Challenge, on 6 July 2011, in Victoria, Seychelles.

During the event, Kate Brown, GLISPA, provided a brief history of the work of GLISPA, and explained that the Partnership promotes action for island conservation and sustainable livelihoods by: inspiring leadership; catalyzing commitments and action; and facilitating collaboration and sharing solutions. She highlighted successful activities including the Micronesian Challenge and the Caribbean Challenge, both of which are being implemented. She said GLISPA works under the model of islands determining their own future, and focuses on facilitating the commitment of leaders to take concrete action at the local level.

Rolph Payet, Special Advisor to the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Seychelles, introduced the concept of the Western Indian Ocean Coastal Challenge. He underscored the importance of ecosystem resilience in adaptation to climate change and said the challenge would address this, among other issues. Payet noted that the Indian Ocean Commission has submitted a proposal to the EU to: conduct a consultation process to define concrete goals and targets for the Challenge; establish an effective coordination mechanism for the Challenge; and conduct national and regional assessments on needs and priorities for implementing adaptation strategies around ecosystem-based management. He further explained that an initial national consultation on the Western Indian Ocean Coastal Challenge would take place in the following week in the Seychelles, and that efforts then would be made to reach out to other countries in the region, including the coastal areas of East Africa and islands of the Indian Ocean. [IISD RS Sources]