All Set For COP13,ABC Hits 40th Milestone.
Story: Mohammed Abu,ADM,Accra
The thirteenth Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP13) to the Abidjan Convention (ABC), is to be held virtually from 13 to 15 December 2021
The theme for COP13 which is, “Ocean Governance: challenges and opportunities for the sustainable development of Africa” would have twenty (20) draft decisions reviewed by experts
The draft decisions will be later submitted to the ministers of environment of the twenty-two (22) Abidjan Convention member countries for approval.
These were contained in a Press Release issued by the Abidjan Convention Secretariat in Abidjan,on Friday,December 10.
Aside representatives of member countries, participants from the five continents the release said, scientists, and representatives of intergovernmental institutions, United Nations bodies, environmental NGOs and partners would also be in attendance.
The Conference of Parties, supreme body of the Abidjan Convention takes place every two or three years.
This meeting will also be the opportunity to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of ABC which, since 1981 has been playing a tremendous role in the debates on oceans and coastal environment in Western, Central and Southern Africa.
The ABC since its creation has made numerous strides the most remarkable ones being those in the past five years the release disclosed.
They include, the Provision of its member countries with four additional protocols on i) pollution from land-based sources and activities (Grand-Bassam protocol); (ii) sustainable management of mangroves (Calabar protocol), integrated coastal zone management (Pointe Noire protocol), exploration and exploitation of offshore oil and gas activities (Malabo protocol).
Furthermore, it also strengthened the capacities of member states in mastering the integrated management tools of coasts and oceans (Marine Spatial Planning, characterization of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, preparation of reports on the state of marine environment, strengthening the network of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) of which the first Ivorian MPA was created on December 21st 2020, fighting coastal erosion, protection of mangroves ecosystems, fighting plastic pollution, among others.
