Launching of the project "Towards the Sustainable Management of the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) - initial support to the implementation of the Strategic Action Program

The workshop of the launching of the project "Towards the Sustainable Management of the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) - initial support to the implementation of the Strategic Action Program (PAS)" was held virtually by the zoom platform on 4 and 5 November 2021. Representatives of the 6 on 7 participating countries of the project (Morocco, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Cabo Verde), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU) attended the meeting. A number of co-financing partners and other CCLME implementing partner organizations attended the meeting as observers.

The following conclusions/recommendations were made during this virtual CCLME launch workshop:

• The participants thanked the FAO Sub-Regional Office for West Africa (FAO-SFW) and the URC for organizing this virtual workshop to launch the CCLME project and apologized for the participants who could not take part due to difficulties related to the internet connection.
• The meeting thanked the countries and partners for presenting, in a spirit of information sharing, their ongoing actions in the North-West African region that are potentially complementary and in synergy with the activities planned within the framework of the CCLME project implementation.
• Given the already accumulated delay due to covid-19 pandemic situation, and the difficulties related to the recruitment of RCU members, the CCLME countries strongly recommended the extension of the project implementation period by one year (with a deadline of June 2023).
• The RCU was asked to prioritize the project activity on developing an operational plan to implement the CCLME SAP, integrating gender equality and women's empowerment (activity 1.1.3.1 of the annual work plan).
• The countries recommended sharing the terms of reference of the consultants/experts to be recruited and mobilized for the implementation of the CCLME project activities, as well as the draft reports produced by these experts.
• The participants asked the RCU to approach the traditional partners of the CCLME (SRFC, IUCN, PRCM, Wetlands International, BirdLife, Abidjan Convention), who were not able to effectively take part in this virtual launching workshop for various reasons, in order to share the results of this workshop and to revitalize the already existing partnership
• After amendments, the countries approved the annual work plan of the CCLME project.
• The participants welcomed the proposal of the FAO Sub-Regional Office for West Africa (FAO-SFW) to organize the next CCLME meeting in Dakar whose exact date will be announced by the URC.