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The
African Process for the Development and Protection of the Marine and
Coastal Environment in Sub-Saharan Africa is an innovative
undertaking, which has initially been implemented through a GEF
Medium Sized Project (MSP), which has developed a comprehensive
strategy to address priority items, including the protection of
degraded or threatened marine and coastal ecosystems in sub-Saharan
Africa, the revitalization of relevant regional instruments, and the
generation of sustainable development opportunities in Africa. The
African Process seeks to assist countries in the region to achieve
the sustainable management of the coastal interface through project
proposals that are effective from an environmental, financial and
institutional perspective, and which have galvanized a
significant degree of political support. This initiative provides an
opportunity to a wide range of regional and international partners
and donors to work jointly with local stakeholders on projects that
build upon solid scientific research and are endowed with a high
degree of national ownership.
In
recognition of the fact that the African Process has fulfilled its
initial objectives and delivered a Portfolio of nineteen framework
project proposals that address priority issues for the region, this
initiative has been incorporated into the Environment Component of
the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The President of Senegal,
who has been designated as Environment Coordinator of NEPAD, and
with the support of many African countries, decided to establish a
Secretariat tasked with the effective development of the coastal and
marine agenda. The Coastal and Marine Secretariat of NEPAD, COSMAR
Secretariat, has been set up in Nairobi, Kenya.
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