The Regional Seas Program was created in 1974 as a global program implemented through regional components. Agenda 21, the UN General Assembly and the Governing Council of UNEP have endorsed the regional approach to the management of marine and coastal resources, the control of marine pollution and the development of action plans.
It is an action-oriented program focused not only on the mitigation or elimination of the consequences but also of the causes of environmental degradation. It has a comprehensive, integrated, result-oriented approach to combating environmental problems through the rational management of marine and coastal areas.
The Oceans and Coastal Areas Unit is administered by a central unit at UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi, which also serves as secretariat for the Regional Seas Action Plans for regions where, at present, financial constraints prevent the establishment of a secretariat in the region. The location of the Regional Seas Coordinating Units is determined by governments and have been established in Athens, Kingston and Bangkok. Secretariats hosted by regional organizations also function in Kuwait, Jeddah, Western Samoa and Lima. Preparations are ongoing for the establishment of Regional Coordinating Units in the Seychelles and Ivory Coast.
Interregional Activities:
-- Integrated Coastal Area Management
-- Global Investigation of Pollution in the Marine Environment (GIPME)
-- Monitoring of Climate Related Changes
-- Support to Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environment Protection (GESAMP)
-- Protection and Management of Marine Living Resources and Marine Biodiversity.
-- Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (LBA)
Ongoing Projects:
-- Support to the Oceans and Coastal Areas Program of UNEP
-- Assessment and Control of Pollution in the Coastal and Marine Environment of the West and Central Africa Region (WACAF/2 - Phase II)
-- Marine Pollution Assessment and Control Program for the Wider Caribbean Region (CEPPOL): A Joint IOC/UNEP Regional Program
-- Assessment and Control of Pollution in the Coastal and Marine Environment of the Eastern African Region - EAFPOL (EAF/6)
-- Support for the Establishment and the Operation of the Regional Coordinating Unit for the East Asian Seas Action Plan
-- Eastern African Coastal and Marine Environment Resource Database and Atlas - Phase I
-- Capacity Building in the Field of Planning and Management of the Coastal Areas in the South Asian Seas Region - Phase I
-- Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities
-- Support for the Group of Experts on Scientific Aspects of Marine Environment Protection (GESAMP)
-- Support to the Implementation of the Action Plan for the Protection of the Marine & Coastal areas in the South-East Pacific Region - Phase II
-- Coordination and Support to the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation, Management and Utilization of Marine Mammals
-- Technical Support to Global and Regional Programs for the Assessment, Prevention, Control and Abatement of Marine Pollution
-- Assistance to technical projects, formulation of policies and strategies, dissemination of information, support to improvement of national capacity through training and building consensus through regional expertise
Mechanisms for Program Delivery:
An on-going reiterative consultation process with the client governments on a regional basis client consultation mechanism;
All actions are contained in a one or two-year Action Plan, scrutinized and subsequently approved by the client governments at a regional Intergovernmental Meeting client approved time-frame;
Through regional Bureau/Monitoring Committees, the implementation of the approved Action Plan is checked between Intergovernmental Meetings implementation control mechanism;
For each Action Plan, a budget is approved by the client governments, ensuring finances (in many regions through trust funds) for implementation assured funding;
The thirteen Regional Seas Programs are not dealt with in homogenized manner as if they are similar. In fact, each Regional Seas Program is tailored to the priorities in the region as perceived by the governments of each region's regional priority specificity.
At present, the Regional Seas Program includes thirteen regions world-wide with well over 140 coastal states and territories participating. The various action plans include: Mediterranean Action Plan, Kuwait Action Plan, West and Central African Action Plan, Caribbean Action Plan, East Asian Seas Action Plan, South-East Pacific Action Plan, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Action Plan, South Pacific Action Plan, Eastern African Action Plan, South Asian Seas Action Plan, North-West Pacific Action Plan, Black Sea Action Plan, cooperation under the auspices of UNEP is also being developed in the South-West Atlantic (no action plan exists yet).
