The Great Blue Wall (GBW) is a Western Indian Ocean (WIO)-led, African driven roadmap to achieve a nature positive world by 2030. It aims at unlocking unprecedented nature-based recovery efforts through the establishment of a transformational movement. Its goal is to dramatically accelerate and upscale ocean conservation actions while enhancing socio-ecological resilience and the development of a regenerative blue economy by catalysing political leadership and financial support. The side event comes at the backdrop of ongoing high-level engagements since launch at the UNFCCC COP26 with an aim to catalyse political momentum, financial support and action commitments towards the acceleration and upscaling of ocean actions under the umbrella of the Great Blue Wall initiative.

Contributing to the theme of the conference “Scaling up ocean-based action” through partnerships and developing and implementing novel solutions, the event aligns with four thematic interactive dialogues, including promoting and strengthening sustainable ocean-based economies, in particular for small island developing States and least developed countries [5], managing, protecting, conserving and restoring marine and coastal ecosystems [2], making fisheries sustainable and providing access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets [4], and leveraging interlinkages between SDG 14 and other Goals towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda [8].

This event further contributes to draw attention to the need for increased ocean conservation efforts by pursuing innovative approaches toward achieving the 30×30 biodiversity target and increasing the resilience and capacity of coastal and marine ecosystems to deliver services in a sustainable way that works for both nature and people. At the heart of the GBW approach is a focus to empower local stakeholders, in particular indigenous people and local communities, to become stewards and managers of these coastal regions in order to achieve not only quantity but also quality coastal biodiversity ecosystems.

The success of the Great Blue Wall will also be borne by the leadership of WIO Governments. The event will therefore also showcase the Western Indian Ocean – Resilience and Prosperity Initiative (WIO-RPI). Endorsed by all governments of the WIO through the Nairobi Convention COP-10, its goal is for all WIO governments to co-create a new regional ocean policy and five year strategic plan. The WIO-RPI will provide the critical policy and strategic foundations and architecture for GBW’s success.

The event will also explore how blue economy and livelihood opportunities will be unlocked through turning the blue economy into a driver of social, climate, and ecological regeneration by focusing on ocean-facing value chains and business models that demonstrate the potential to deliver both socioeconomic and conservation outcomes.