SWIO SBE Annual Face to Face Meeting

The SWIOTUNA Secretariat participated in the Face-to-Face Annual Planning Meeting for the "Unlocking a Sustainable Blue Economy in the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO-SBE) Programme," held at Serena Beach Resort in Mombasa, Kenya. The meeting brought together WWF representatives from SWIO region along with SWIOTUNA, to review progress made in 2024 and align on strategic priorities for 2025. Discussions focused on financial management, program achievements, regional collaboration, policy advocacy, gender inclusion, and combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Key objectives included integrating CSO action plans into the 2025 work plan, enhancing coordination around IOTC engagement and IUU advocacy, conducting financial flow analyses to improve resource allocation, and defining long-term strategic directions and a sustainable exit strategy for the programme. The workshop resulted in the development of a consolidated 2025 work plan and budget, reflecting funding balances from previous years, and officially launched the roll-out of the SBE Benchmarking Tool across the region to enhance tracking and accountability of blue economy efforts.