GEF IW:LEARN e-bulletin #24, September/October 2010

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In This Issue

Lead Stories	Visitor statistics since release of E-Bulletin #23 View full-size image
Project and Partner News
Most Popular Documents on IW:LEARN in Aug-Sept 2010
Calendar of Events from Nov 2010 to Jan 2011
Vacancies and Requests for Proposals

Lead Stories

	Caribbean Governments Gain New Legal Weapon In Combat Against Marine Pollution Kingston, 13 October, 2010: In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the world’s largest accidental marine oil spill, countries from the States and Territories bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico recently demonstrated their political commitment to the protection of the marine environment from land-based sources and activities, by bringing into force the Land Based Sources of Marine Pollution Protocol, known as LBS.
	Oceans Day Adopts Nagoya Oceans Statement 23 October 2010: "Oceans Day" at Nagoya took place on the sidelines of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in Nagoya, Japan, to emphasize the importance of marine and coastal biodiversity as a common concern of humankind and its essential role for preserving life on Earth.
	New film 'Oceanic Guardians' launched today to celebrate Pacific Island success in establishing rules for fishing A new film titled 'Oceanic Guardians' ( www.youtube.com/pacificislandfish ) was launched today by the UNDP-GEF funded Pacific Islands Oceanic Fisheries Management Project (OFMP) at the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Committee meeting in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Celebrating the success of Pacific Islands' negotiations to establish a tuna commission to set and enforce rules on tuna fishing, 'Oceanic Guardians' is shot in high definition video featuring the world's first underwater footage of longline fishing in the Pacific Islands, traditional canoe racing in the Solomon Islands and Tongan-owned and crewed patrol boats and fishing vessels.
	IWLEARN.NET is Upgrading IWLEARN.NET, which is powered by the Plone open source content management system, will be upgraded from version 2.5 to 4, the latest version, released in September 2010. One of the major improvements offered by this upgrade will be noticeably faster loading of data and contents, at least twice faster than in older versions of Plone.

Project and Partner News

Communities Vote for the Protection of Kampong Smach in Cambodia
Over 60 village members in Prey Nob District, members of the Fisheries Administration and the Technical Working Group for Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) in Preah Sihanouk in Cambodia came together for a consultative workshop to establish the 1,000-hectare Marine Protected Area in Prek Kampong Smach.

ASCLME and NOAA Announce Partnership
Nine countries in East Africa stand to reap significant benefits from a partnership agreement that was formally adopted today between the Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystems (ASCLME) Project and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States.

Lake Tanganyika Authority and the Food and Agriculture Organization Signed the Technical Assistance Agreement
On 10 September 2010, the Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) signed the Technical Assistance Agreement for the Project to Support the Lake Tanganyika Integrated Regional Development Programme (PRODAP). The Technical Assistance Agreement was signed by the two parties and endorsed by three Lake Tanganyika riparian governments of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania at a brief ceremony held at the Ministry of External Relations and International Cooperation in Bujumbura, Burundi. The Government of the Republic of Zambia is expected to endorse the Agreement through the Ambassador based in Tanzania but also accredited to Burundi.

Sierra Leone marine environment, resources protected
ACCRA 1 Nov - Sierra Leone is a small country nestled on the western bulge of Africa, but one endowed with abundant natural resources on and offshore. Yet, like the 15 other countries making up the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem (GCLME), it is battling against marine pollution, resource overexploitation and the destruction of its coastal habitats. On 5 October, the Regional Coordination Unit of the GCLME project interviewed the SLEPA Board chairperson, Haddijatou Jallow, on the problems bedeviling the country’s marine environment. Read an excerpt of that interview.

GWP Mediterranean Bi-Monthly Report for September-October is Now Available
Read the story on the recently concluded GEF SPM IWG Meeting held in Albania which focused on Integrating methodologies and practices of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) including groundwater/aquifers, and is a joint multi-year activity between GWP-Med, the Priority Action Programme of the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (PAP/RAC MAP/UNEP) and UNESCO. This activity is implemented in the framework of the GEF Strategic Partnership for the Mediterranean Large Marine Ecosystems (GEF MedPartnership) and also contributes to the works of the Mediterranean Component of the EU Water Initiative (MED EUWI). Five other stories on other GWP activities region are included in the report.

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GEF IW:LEARN e-bulletin #24, September/October 2010

In This Issue

Lead Stories

Project and Partner News

Most Popular Documents from Projects on IW:LEARN.NET (May-June 2010)

Calendar of Events from November 2010 to January 2011

Vacancies and Requests for Proposals

Document Actions