AU: Adoption of the Moroni Declaration for Ocean and Climate Action
On 14 June 2023, African Ministers and High-Level Representatives adopted the Moroni Declaration for Ocean and Climate Action in Africa (“Moroni Declaration”). The Moroni Declaration is the culmination of a two-day ministerial conference titled “Blue Economy and Climate Action in Africa: Island and Coastal States at the forefront”, held in Moroni, Union of Comoros, from 12-14 June 2023. The convenors were the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Indian Ocean Commission, and the United Nations Development Programme.
The Union of Comoros, Cabo Verde, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Sao Tome e Principe, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, and Tanzania all adopted the Moroni Declaration, undertaking to promote the blue economy at continental and regional levels and to accelerate the Great Blue Wall initiative to drive nature-based blue recovery efforts, enhance socio-ecological resilience, and to foster a regenerative blue economy.
To achieve these overarching objectives, the Moroni Declaration acknowledges African Island States’ specific needs and vulnerabilities, provides mechanisms to accelerate the Great Blue Wall Initiative, and commits to enhanced cooperation, partnerships and collaborations, in accordance with international law. Aligned with the targets in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Great Blue Wall is a Western Indian Ocean-born, African-driven roadmap, to achieve a nature-positive world by 2030. This is in response to three interconnected crises that comprise biodiversity loss, climate change, and economic decline. Its terrestrial cousin in Africa is the Great Green Wall Initiative, launched in 2007.
In safeguarding sensitive and interconnected marine and coastal ecosystems and ecological processes, the Moroni Declaration seeks to specifically engage with, and create sustainable development opportunities for Africa’s women, youth, and other vulnerable groups. It also highlights other important intersectional developments relevant to ocean conservation, climate action, and the sustainable development of coastal communities, including international funding reforms discussed at the recent Summit on the New Global Financing Pact on 23 June 2023, and increasing advocacy for a sustainable blue economy at the forthcoming Africa Climate Summit, in September 2023, and COP28 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in November 2023.
Though not cited in the declaration text, other notable African Union (AU) instruments coordinating the strategic implementation of a sustainable blue economy are the
AU Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy and Action Plan (2022-32), the AU Green Recovery Action Plan, and the African Green Stimulus Programme; all African-led initiatives developed to support the Continent’s recovery response to the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
To this end, the State Parties to the Moroni Declaration affirm their commitment to initiate the Moroni Process for Ocean and Climate Action in Africa and African Island States, in order to systematically raise the ocean conservation agenda of African Island and Coastal States, across international forums.
- The Moroni Declaration is available here.
This advisory note was prepared by ALT Advisory’s new Climate Justice & Sustainability Practice (CJS). With an emphasis on implementation, monitoring, and impact reporting, CJS aims to build climate-resilience through digital transformation and climate and environmental justice. Find out more here.
Please note: The information contained in this note is for general guidance on matters of interest, and does not constitute legal advice. For any enquiries, please contact us at [email protected].