The Abidjan Convention was born out of the need for a regional approach to the prevention, reduction and control of pollution of the marine environment, coastal and related river waters under the jurisdiction of the States of Western, Central and Southern Africa. On 23 March 1981, in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, countries signed the Convention and its Protocol on Cooperation in Combating Pollution in the Event of an Emergency. On that occasion, the Contracting Parties also adopted an action plan for the protection and development of the marine and coastal environment of the region.
ABC is an intergovernmental treaty, a legal framework agreement that entered into force on 5 May 1984. The geographical area of the Abidjan Convention covers 22 countries, from Mauritania to South Africa, including Cape Verde and Sao Tome and Principe, covering approximately 14,000 km of coastline. It is home to three major large marine ecosystems: the Canary Current, the Gulf of Guinea Current and the Benguela Current. To date, 20 countries are Parties to the Convention, with Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe not yet ratifying the Convention
Acknowledging the ecological uniqueness of the region's marine and coastal areas, the importance of resources and economic opportunities for countries, and the emergence of new threats to ecosystem conservation, parties expressed the need for complementary ocean governance tools. Thus, at the meeting of Plenipotentiaries held in Abidjan in July 2019, the Contracting Parties adopted four additional protocols aimed at responding to the new challenges of sustainable development of the oceans, and aimed at preventing, mitigating and combating threats to marine ecosystems.
These are the Bassam Protocol on Pollution from Land-based Sources and Activities, the Malabo Protocol on Environmental Standards for Offshore Oil and Gas Activities, the Pointe-Noire Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management and the Calabar Protocol on Sustainable Mangrove Management.
In accordance with Articles 8, 9, 10 and 11 of the Convention, Contracting Parties are encouraged to use the best environmental provisions and practices in the Protection, Management and Development of the marine and coastal environment of the coverage area of the Abidjan Convention. To this end, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been identified by the Contracting Parties as one of the appropriate solutions to protect, manage and enhance the marine environment and coastal areas of the West, Central and Southern Africa region.
The overall objective of the Regional Consultation is to gather the contributions and observations of national delegates on the draft protocol on MPAs management among others.
The expected results from the Regional Consultation of the Contracting Parties to the Abidjan Convention on the draft protocol on marine protected areas are : The experts' contributions and comments on the draft additional protocol were collected with a view to finalizing the draft additional protocol, a Draft Decision for the Adoption of the Additional Protocol is drafted, and the Additional Protocol on the Management of MPAs is ready for consideration by the Contracting Parties at COP14.
