Completion of the three years Technical Assistance to the Indian Ocean Rim Association to coordinate and implement its Blue Economy Work Plan

Between May 2020 and May 2023, COFREPECHE has implemented a Technical Assistance to the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) financed by the AFD to support the IORA and its Member States in coordinating and implementing the Work Plan of its Working Group on Blue Economy (WGBE).

 

The Technical Assistance focused on 5 objectives of the IORA WGBE’s Work Plan, with a total of 26 separate activities which were planned over a period of 3 years. The main objectives were to:

• Combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in IORA region
• Promote sustainable fisheries management
• Promote sustainable aquaculture development
• Promote and implement open market access to fish trade, including aquaculture
• Standardise blue carbon assessment methods in the Indian Ocean

 

Thanks to the COFREPECHE Technical Assistance, several webinars, online training workshops and workshops were organized in the Indian Ocean. Knowledge sharing was also fostered through the development of various technical reports available on the IORA website. In total, 15 technical publications, 3 training videos, 3 technical training protocols, 11 online events, and 3 physical workshops were produced with the support of the Technical Assistance. In addition, a magazine has been produced to present the project and Promoting the Blue Economy and Fisheries Management ( (downloadable here : IORA – Magazine ) The average realization of activities was estimated at 71% considering that 29 activities were originally planned. Finally, regarding the disbursement of the study fund managed by COFREPECHE Technical Assistance Team, the disbursement rate reached was 94% which demonstrates the success of this project.

 

Overall, it is worth to note that, through the implementation of the Technical Assistance, related to the  IORA Blue Economy Work Plan as well as AFD mandate, several SDG 14 goals were achieved, namely,  improving livelihoods, knowledge and fostering deep cooperation among the IORA Member States in  various fields such as fisheries and aquaculture.