THE
ACCRA DECLARATION ON THE
ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEM OF THE GULF OF GUINEA
The first meeting of the Ministerial Committee of the
Gulf of Guinea Large Marine Ecosystem (GOG-LME) Project took place
in Accra, Ghana, on 9th and 10th July, 1998. The meeting was attended
by the five Ministers with responsibility for the environment in
Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and
Togo and the Director General/Chief Executive of the Federal Environmental
Protection Agency of Nigeria.
Basing their deliberations
on extensive and substantive preparations, the Committee of Ministers
has adopted the Accra Declaration on Environmentally Sustainable
Development of the Large Marine Ecosystem of the Gulf of Guinea.
PREAMBLE
We, the Ministers of Environment of Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Togo and the Director General/Chief
Executive of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency of Nigeria
responsible for the GOG-LME Project,
Conscious of the fundamental
importance of the health of the Gulf of Guinea Large Marine Ecosystem,
including its coastal areas, to the well-being of the coastal communities,
the economies and food security of the coastal states and the socio-cultural
life of the Gulf of Guinea Region;
Recognising the
transboundary nature of the marine environmental and living resource
management problems confronting the Gulf of Guinea Region;
Concerned about the severe rates of coastal erosion, the threat
of flooding, the seriousness of pollution, loss of biological diversity
and depletion of fishery resources;
Conscious of the necessity
to adopt a standardised regional approach in a cooperative effort
to their control;
Conscious of the importance of having
the means to combat the problem of coastal erosion;
Convinced of the validity of the integrated and sustainable management
of the Large Marine Ecosystem to the resolution of problems, including
strengthening regional cooperation and development, as well as establishing
proper linkages between local, national, regional and global decision-making,
and which is in fact unachievable without these said linkages;
Aware of the need to strengthen project implementation and
to integrate more countries bordering the Guinea Current Large Marine
Ecosystem and the necessity to enlarge the partnership notably with
the inclusion of the private sector and other bilateral and multilateral
donors;
Believing, therefore, that regional networking
is an essential component of the system of ocean and coastal governance
for the next century and beyond;
Noting and fully supporting
the important achievement by the UNDP-GEF funded GOG-LME Project
over the past three years, in the context of project execution by
the project countries assisted by UNIDO, UNEP and US-NOAA, especially
in forging a regional approach to ecosystem management;
Cognisant of the coming into force of the UN Conventions on the
Law of the Sea, of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, of
the Biodiversity Convention and the Abidjan Convention on Cooperation
for the Protection and Development of Marine and the Coastal Zones
of West and Central Africa (WACAF, 1981);
Determined to
prevent, control and reduce coastal and marine environmental degradation
in our respective countries, with a view to improve living conditions
and productivity,
DECISIONS
Have agreed that:
The countries within the Gulf of Guinea should as soon
as possible, establish appropriate institutional mechanisms for
the planning, implementation and evaluation of Integrated Coastal
Areas Management (ICAM) plans;
Management plans and strategies,
which may vary from country to country, should follow general guidelines
adopted at the regional level. They should balance economic
development with environmental protection and living resources conservation
concerns and harmonise long-term ecosystem requirements with short-term
political and economic interests;
Efforts shall be made
to initiate, encourage and work synergistically with current and/or
programmed national and international programmes on integrated coastal
zone management in the region. The national concerns of flooding,
and pollution caused by hydrocarbons, toxic chemical products, fisheries
productivity and over-exploitation and, above all, coastal erosion
call for the special attention of donors;
Data and
information networking between the GOG-LME countries should be improved.
National and Regional databases on the coastal and marine environment
should be established using the Geographical Information System
(GIS) to support decision-making, to be available to all users;
Transfer of knowledge and experiences among the countries of
the GOG-LME, through the consolidation of networks for joint monitoring,
research and capacity building in the field of marine environmental
and natural resource management, should be enhanced;
Adequate
and timely material and financial resources should be provided by
Our Governments with support from UNDP/GEF, UNIDO as well as our
private sector, bilateral and multilateral partners to the GOG-LME
Project to ensure its efficient implementation and harmonious development;
Implementation of programmes should be monitored and rigorous
and objective evaluations should be conducted on a periodic basis
to determine the effectiveness of programmes and the efficiency
of the system in achieving the goals and objectives of the GOG-LME
Project;
The existing networks of non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) in and among countries should be consolidated and expanded
to ensure efficient and effective grassroots community involvement
and information dissemination;
The development of a Strategic
Action Plan including a full Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis leading
to the second phase of the Project to include all the countries
bordering the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem, should be accelerated.
THE
GULF OF GUINEA LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEM
COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS
OF ENVIRONMENT,
Accra, Ghana, the 10th of July 1998.
HE Mr. S.A. AKINDES
Minister of Environment, Habitat and Urban Development of Benin
HE Mr. S. NAAH ONDOA
Minister of Environment and Forests
of Cameroon
HE Mr. A. KAKOU TIAPANI
Minister of Housing,
Quality of Life and Environment of Côte
d’Ivoire
HE Mr. J.E. AFFUL
Minister of Environment,
Science and Technology of Ghana
HE Mr. K.S. ADADE
Minister
of Environment and Forest Production of Togo
Dr. R.O. ADEWOYE
Director General / Chief Executive
Federal Environmental Protection
Agency of Nigeria
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