Co-creating an Information Management Strategy for the Western Indian Ocean through a Multi-stakeholder Working Group

Summary
The Information Management Strategy (IMS) for the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) aims to promote marine environmental knowledge sharing and effective governance. Initiated at the 10th Conference of Parties to the Nairobi Convention in 2021, it's a participatory, multi-stakeholder approach, involving governments, NGOs, private sector, academia, and others.
The IMS seeks to raise public awareness about the ocean's importance and facilitate data sharing for informed decision-making. It establishes a Multi-stakeholder Working Group (MSWG) with regional representation to guide its development. Stakeholder engagements, dialogues, and technical guidance are key components.
This strategy recognizes the region's unique challenges and the need for multi-sectoral collaboration in managing the marine environment. It's a significant step towards creating a more ocean-literate public and informed ocean governance in the Western Indian Ocean.
Classifications
Region
Scale of implementation
Ecosystem
Theme
Challenges
Sustainable development goals
Aichi targets
Challenges
-
Feeding science into policy-making is required to ensure informed and sustainable approaches are taken to manage marine and coastal resources.
-
Data and information often exist but must be sufficiently shared across sectors, regions and institutions.
-
Identifying and engaging appropriate and a critical mass of stakeholders sufficient to constitute the Multi-stakeholder Working Group.
Beneficiaries
- Contracting parties of the Nairobi Convention
- People of the WIO dependent on marine and coastal ecosystems
- Co-development participants
- Private sector/NGOs for blue growth
- Coastal/marine organizations
Building blocks
How do the building blocks interact?
See the below image for an overview of the process architecture. Please note that the IMS MSWG is convened by the Nairobi Convention (NC) at the heart of the process with other organisations (incl. GIZ, CLI, ZMT) assisting the NC in developing the strategy.
Impacts
-
A draft Information Management Strategy has been developed and circulated. A final version will be presented to the Focal Points of the Nairobi Convention for possible consideration at the upcoming Conference of Parties to the Nairobi Convention in early 2024.
-
The IMS Multi-stakeholder Working Group engaged with regional stakeholders through Technical Dialogues on key topics identified as priorities for the Strategy, e.g. Ocean Accounting and Marine Spatial Planning.
-
The IMS Multi-stakeholder Working Group held exchanges with stakeholders involved in developing the Regional Ocean Governance Strategy for the WIO, ensuring regular communication and understanding of synergies and complementarities.
-
The Collective Leadership Institute conducted training and information sessions for members of the IMS MSWG, introducing CLI’s two core methodologies (The Collective Leadership Compass and the Dialogic Change Model). These helped participants better understand their respective stakeholder systems and enhance their individual and collective leadership capacities.
-
A regional consensus and ownership of the IMS development process assures mainstreaming of the IMS into national planning processes.
Log in or register to post comments.