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Fight against coastal erosion reinforced with support of GEF LME:LEARN

GEF/UNDP LME:LEARN (An Inter-project Collaboration Opportunity (ICO) Success Story)

By IW:LEARN

August 1^st, 2018

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

On 21-22 June 2018 in Grand-Bassam, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, seventy-three high level representatives met for a validation workshop in support of the of the West Africa Coastal Area Master Plan (SDLAO). The activity was initiated by the "Strengthened the Environmental Information Management System for Coastal Zone Development in Côte d'Ivoire in Response to the Objectives of the Rio Conventions", or EMIS project, which is funded by the GEF, implemented by UNDP and executed by the Ministry of Environment Cote d'Ivoire. Participants to the workshop included the Inter-ministerial Committee for the Control of Coastal Erosion (CILEC), decision-makers (mayors, regional councils, and sectoral ministries), academia and research institutes, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Dakar, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Abidjan and San-Pedro Ports Authorities, and the Abidjan Convention.

The EMIS project, together with partners from the West Africa Coastal Observation Mission (WACOM) and the Abidjan Convention, were awarded an Inter-project Collaboration Opportunity (ICO) grant by GEF LME:LEARN to support the validation of the updated West Africa Coastal Area Master plan by key stakeholders and decision-makers. The validation of this plan would not only benefit the coastline of Cote d’Ivoire, but also countries of West Africa and their two important Large Marine Ecosystems (Canary Current and Guinea Current) with respect to the collection and access of Integrated Coastal Zone data for sustainable management of the coastal zone. Under the ICO grant two activities were proposed, the first being the aforementioned workshop. The second activity, set to take place from 27-30 August in Dakar, Senegal, will be a technical mission to enable the harmonisation of EMIS data according to the sectors defined in the updated West Africa Coastal Area Master Plan.

Information and training workshop in Grand-Bassam on Thursday, June 21, 2018 on actions relating to the management of the coastal environment and the geo-portal of the Environmental Management Information System (EMIS). Photo credit: Atapointe

The workshop in June focused on actions related to coastal environment management and the EMIS Geoportal, and was chaired by Dr. Omer Kamelan the Technical Advisor to the Minister of Health, Environment and Sustainable Development. In addressing the participants, Dr. Kamelan stated:

“If nothing is done for integrated management of our coastline, coastal risks could increase in the years and decades to come due to the increase of the social and economic pressure on one hand and the effects of climate change on the other”.

Dr. Kamelan invited all the stakeholders to become more involved in the actions carried out through the creation of greater synergies and collaborations. He also went on to express the gratitude of Cote d'Ivoire to the Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Development Programme, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) for their technical and financial support.During the welcome address, Mr. Guy Daniel Ouégnin who represented the Mayor of the Municipality of Grand-Bassam, suggested that

“Capacity building must extend beyond the members of the Secretariat of the interdepartmental committee”.

Mr. Ouégnin continued by pleading all the actors involved including elected officials, institutional actors, civil society and all the facilitators intervening in the fight against coastal erosion to “Have a good comprehension and mastery of institutional tools available”.

Mr. Ezoua, Country Program Officer and Head of the Sustainable Development Department at UNDP, assured participants of the availability of the United Nations system and the UNDP in particular, to

“Pursue initiatives that not only contribute to strengthening the resilience of coastal territories, but also the promotion of the blue economy”.

Fight against coastal erosion reinforced with support of GEF LME:LEARN

The workshop was featured in the national newspaper Fraternité Matin, the online news distributor Abidjan News, and on the official website of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development.

The timing of the workshop corresponded well with Law No. 2017-378 (relating to the development, protection and integrated management of the coastal zone) coming into effect on 2 June 2018. Cote d'Ivoire is taking important initiatives at a legislative, regulatory and institutional level to effectively implement international agreements related to integrated coastal zone management. The new law provides inter-alia for the creation of a National Agency for Integrated Coastal Management and a Coastal Development and Management Plan.

Coastal erosion in West Africa. Photo credit: Jbdodane Creative Commons

For more information on the GEF EMIS project, please contact Mr. Bernard Brou (bernard.brou@undp.org) and visit the GEF project database. To learn more about the West African Coastal Observation Mission, please visit the official WACOM website.

To learn more about the collaboration between the EMIS project and WACOM, visit our news article highlighting their twinning exchange, which led to the development of their Inter-Project Collaboration Opportunity Grant proposal.