Mainstreaming of Marine and Coastal Issues into National Planning and Budgetary Processes

During the workshop, speakers from Asia, Africa and Wider Caribbean explored the links between the management of coastal and marine resources, poverty reduction and economic growth, based on their country experiences, with a particular focus on policy development and implementation processes.

During the Second Intergovernmental Review of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) held in Beijing in October 2006, governments asked the UNEP/GPA Coordination Office to provide assistance to countries in assessing how the conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems contributes to poverty alleviation and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The UNEP/GPA Coordination Office was also requested to support countries in mainstreaming the sustainable development of oceans and coasts into international development frameworks and national planning and budgetary processes.In response to this call, the UNEP/GPA Coordination Office has developed an Analytical Framework, Guidelines and Checklist for the Mainstreaming of Marine and Coastal Issues into National Planning and Budgetary Processes, and organised a series of regional meetings to promote this approach. During the workshop, speakers from Asia, Africa and Wider Caribbean explored the links between the management of coastal and marine resources, poverty reduction and economic growth, based on their country experiences, with a particular focus on policy development and implementation processes. Countries that have embarked on the development of a coherent policy framework to address these challenges also shared their mainstreaming experiences.