30 August 2012: The Consortium of the Conservation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO-C) convened in Maputo, Mozambique, on 10 August 2012, as part of the Nairobi Convention Meetings. The meeting agreed to formalize technical support to the WIO Coastal Challenge (WIO-CC), and selected two focal points to the Challenge. The meeting also agreed that the Consortium would focus on engaging the mainland states of Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique in the Coastal Challenge.

The meeting decided that the Wildlife Conservation Society and WWF would serve as focal points to the WIO-CC, and draft a memorandum of understanding (MOU) formalizing support to the WIO-CC. The meeting also discussed: WIO-C operational modalities in relation to planning and implementation of joint activities; progress toward drafting of technical reports for submission to the Seventh Conference of Parties to the Nairobi Convention; and WIO-C participation to the World Conservation Congress, in Jeju, Republic of Korea, in September 2012.

The meeting was part of the regional meetings held on the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the WIO region (Nairobi Convention), and was organized by the Nairobi Convention Secretariat, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), in partnership with the Government of Mozambique and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA).

WIO-C is a consortium of NGOs in partnership with inter-governmental organizations. According to UNEP, the consortium aims to: support synergy in programmes of work on marine and coastal ecosystem management; promote knowledge and information sharing among stakeholders in the Western Indian Ocean region; and provide a mechanism for non-governmental entities to “anchor” activities in the Nairobi Convention and other intergovernmental processes, thus strengthening their implementation. [IISD RS Sources] [UNEP Webpage on Nairobi Convention Meetings]