Senior maritime and environmental officials from eight countries* in Africa have met in Morocco to discuss the benefits of ratifying and implementing the London Protocol (LP) for the protection of the marine environment from pollution.
Through a series of presentations, group discussions and case studies the in-person regional workshop, held in Casablanca (8-10 March), addressed the need to strengthen the capacity of North and West African Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to enable implementation. Development of national systems for monitoring, assessment, compliance and enforcement were also discussed.
Participants were provided with an introduction to the London Protocol as a legal framework for marine pollution management and considered possible barriers to ratification and implementation of the treaty. The workshop also included a visit to the Port of Casablanca where participants learnt about activities at the port, particularly those of relevance to the Protocol.
Next steps and opportunities for future cooperation were identified.
The regional workshop was part of IMO's continued efforts to support UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 (the conservation of life below water) with a view to creating awareness and dialogue around specific ocean governance issues.
Delivered through IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP), with in-kind technical expertise provided by the Government of Canada, the workshop was delivered back-to-back with the forty-sixth meeting of the Scientific Group under the London Convention and the seventeenth meeting of the Scientific Group under the London Protocol (13-17 March).
* Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Mauritania, Morocco, Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Togo.
