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Piracy has re-emerged off Somalia's coast in 2026, with the Joint Maritime Information Center raising its threat assessment to 'severe' following several hijackings in April and May. The document highlights that while international naval efforts like Operation Atalanta and Combined Task Force 151 have previously suppressed piracy, they are currently stretched thin due to crises in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz. The author argues that piracy is driven by the collapse of sea-dependent livelihoods caused by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. While Türkiye has signed agreements to safeguard Somali territorial waters, the document suggests Turkish forces may prioritize their own deep-sea drilling assets. The report concludes that unless the Somali federal government and partners address community grievances and governance gaps, the region remains vulnerable to a sustained piracy cycle.

The report analyzes maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), emphasizing that threats like climate change, illegal fishing, and piracy are interconnected. It highlights the risks of increasing militarisation by global powers and the environmental dangers of rerouting shipping around the Cape of Good Hope due to Red Sea instability.

The Great Blue Wall (GBW) is a proposed regional programme for the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) designed to create a network of regenerative seascapes. Led by the IUCN and targeting nine countries, the initiative seeks to combine nature-based solutions with innovative financing to protect critical blue ecosystems—such as mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs—while fostering a regenerative blue economy. The programme requests USD 200 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), with an additional USD 100 million in co-financing, to implement a four-component strategy focusing on policy frameworks, market development, capital flow acceleration, and regional coordination. Key goals by 2031 include the protection of 2 million km² of the ocean in the WIO and the creation of 2 million jobs.

The report evaluates the implementation of marine and coastal ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) across SADC member states, highlighting the critical role of ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs in protecting vulnerable coastal populations. It identifies a significant gap between the potential of EbA and its integration into national climate policies and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). While showcasing successful regional examples—such as Madagascar's community-led mangrove projects and Seychelles' innovative blue bonds—the document notes systemic challenges including overlapping ministerial mandates, limited local government capacity, and a lack of bankable project proposals for international climate finance. It recommends mainstreaming EbA into 2025 NDC revisions and strengthening regional cooperation to scale up nature-based solutions.

The report details Kenya's progress in climate adaptation and mitigation from July 2019 to June 2020. Key achievements include the distribution of climate information services to over 2.5 million people, the accreditation of Kenya Commercial Bank with the Green Climate Fund, and the climate-proofing of over 3,000 km of roads. However, implementation was hindered by the Covid-19 pandemic, a desert locust invasion, and weak coordinating units at the county level. The document recommends ring-fencing climate finance and adopting a biennial reporting cycle to improve efficiency.

The document examines the challenges of integrating scientific evidence into policymaking for ocean governance, specifically within the Western Indian Ocean region. It highlights the role of the Nairobi Convention and WIOMSA in bridging these gaps and advocates for a shift from linear communication to interactive, dialogic networks. The brief emphasizes the importance of trust, the need for institutional reforms in researcher performance evaluation, and the adoption of strategies to increase the salience, credibility, and legitimacy of scientific information to support evidence-based decision-making.

The document identifies a history of disappointing outcomes in private sector partnerships within the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region, often due to the private sector being viewed solely as a funding source and a general lack of trust between stakeholders. It argues that meaningful partnerships must be based on mutual benefit, clearly defined roles, and a recognition of the diverse nature of private sector actors, ranging from micro-enterprises to multinational firms. The briefing supports the adoption of the Strategic Framework for Private Sector Partnership for the Western Indian Ocean Region and suggests exploring a regional platform to facilitate innovation and coordination between government, private sector, and civil society, potentially modeled after the Consortium for the Conservation of the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO-C).

The report highlights a gap between the existing policy frameworks and the actual operational capabilities of countries in the Western Indian Ocean to respond to marine pollution. It uses the 2020 MV Wakashio grounding in Mauritius to demonstrate that national contingency plans alone are insufficient. The author argues that regional cooperation is hindered by limited funding and technical capacity, and recommends the urgent adoption of the draft regional contingency plan and the creation of a Regional Coordination Centre, likely hosted by South Africa, to standardise training and response efforts.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) emphasizes the critical role of coral reefs in climate resilience and mitigation, noting that 1.5°C of warming could cause a 70-90% decline in reefs. The GCF highlights the 'widening financing gap' for these ecosystems and supports the Global Fund for Coral Reefs' goal of using blended finance to catalyze private investment for vulnerable countries, including SIDS and LDCs. The GCF cites its Blue Action Fund project in the Western Indian Ocean as an example of its current investment in marine ecosystems.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Proposal Toolkit 2020 serves as a technical manual for entities seeking climate finance for developing countries. It outlines the essential roles of National Designated Authorities (NDAs), Accredited Entities (AEs), and Executing Entities (EEs), and provides a ten-step methodology for proposal development. Key design requirements include a strong climate rationale, a Theory of Change, and a logical framework aligned with GCF's investment criteria. The guide emphasizes the integration of environmental and social safeguards, gender action plans, and indigenous peoples' policies. It also details the financial instruments available—grants, concessional loans, equity, and guarantees—and explains the approval pathways, including the Simplified Approval Process (SAP) for smaller, low-risk projects.

The document examines the governance of marine and coastal resources in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), emphasizing the need for integrated coastal management (ICM) and coastal and marine spatial planning (CMSP) to balance economic growth with biodiversity conservation. It highlights the role of marine protected areas (MPAs) and locally managed marine areas (LMMAs) in securing ecosystem services and supporting livelihoods. The author argues that for the 'Blue Economy' to be sustainable, conservation must be integrated into development agendas through economic valuations of natural capital and inclusive, community-based management to avoid 'ocean grabbing' and ensure equitable benefit-sharing.

The report details a workshop focused on integrating civil society into South Africa's Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) process. It identifies critical gaps in the Draft MSP Bill and Framework, such as the lack of an ecosystem-based approach and insufficient public participation. Key recommendations include establishing a civil society institutional structure (like a stakeholder forum or Community of Practice), aligning academic research with national MSP milestones, and developing an information-sharing portal to improve transparency and data accessibility.

The ocean and coastal ecosystems are critical for global biodiversity, food security, and carbon sequestration, but they face severe threats from climate change and pollution. Despite an estimated annual funding need of USD 175 billion to USD 459 billion to safeguard the ocean, only USD 11 billion has been invested via philanthropy and Official Development Assistance over the last decade. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) aims to close this gap by creating enabling environments, catalysing innovation, de-risking projects to mobilise private finance, and strengthening national financial institutions through tools like blue bonds and debt swaps. Current GCF initiatives include the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, targeting 17 countries with a USD 500 million project value, and the Blue Action Fund, focusing on coastal resilience in the Western Indian Ocean region.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the environmental risks associated with the Red Sea crisis, highlighting how military conflict and the rerouting of shipping traffic threaten marine ecosystems, increase carbon emissions, and jeopardize the food security of coastal populations in Africa.