Programme Cooperation Agreement 2014: Final Report for the Period 01 January 2014 to 01 March 2015

5D Sustainable Seas – Management of Human Impacts on the Marine Environment

GRID-Arendal has assisted Ecuador and Costa Rica with the process of completing their submissions for extended continental shelf. GRID-Arendal has provided Ecuador with a comprehensive data project sourced from the One Stop Data Shop and also assisted Ecuador with an application to the United Nations trust-fund to cover the cost of specialist maritime boundary software and training. GRID-Arendal is currently assisting Costa Rica to develop the geological argument to support the repositioning of its outer ECS limits. This has involved a detailed examination of existing data. A new trust fund application has also been prepared in order to co-fund our work with Costa Rica through 2015. 5C Shelf Programme – Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction The GEF-funded ‘Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction’ project was approved in June 2014. The project contracting is currently being finalised by UNEP/World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), with project activities set to commence in the first half of 2015.

GRID-Arendal has been actively involved in building capacity in ecosystem-based marine management in developing countries. Having worked with UNEP and the International Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO to develop a ‘Capacity Building for State of the Marine Environment Reporting’ programme, a draft workplan has now been prepared by GRID-Arendal, and consultations are ongoing with UNEP and IOC. GRID- Arendal also helped UNEP design a global support programme for the Regional Seas Programme that is now being tested in West Africa. The State of the Marine Environment (SoME) web-based reporting portal commissioned by the Secretariat of the Abidjan Convention was delivered and presented at the 11th Conference of the State Parties to the Abidjan Convention in March. The basic approach was also adopted by the states parties in decision CP11/13, 27 for implementation throughout the entire region.

During a workshop held in February, GRID-Arendal assisted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

27. http://cop11.abidjanconvention.org/media/documents/Report/COP11 %20%20%20Final%20Report%20En.pdf

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