Background

The transition to a circular economy model offers significant opportunities for African and Indian Ocean countries to develop flourishing economies while ensuring their long-term environmental sustainability and resilience.

In 2023, and with technical assistance of the EU, the AUC and partners developed the African Union Circular Economy Action Plan (2024-2034) which was adopted in November 2023 by the 5th session of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment (ARDWE). The action plan sets out the vision, mission, priority sectors, goals and actions to drive the transition to circular economy in the continent. It provides an implementation plan that among others calls for the development of CE roadmaps/action plans at regional, subregional, national and subnational levels.

Given the contexts of the African and Indian Ocean Island States, it is important that frameworks and others measures to foster CE transition in these are aligned with their specific challenges, opportunities and needs. That is why the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and partners took the initiative to foster a CE transition in African and Indian Ocean Island, including through development of CE action plan.

In September 2023, the Ministerial Conference on the Blue and Circular Economy for Africa and the Indian Ocean Island States convened in Mauritius to facilitate a dialogue among the states resulting in the Declaration of the Ministers and High Representatives of the Island States of Africa and the Indian Ocean for the Development of the Circular Economy. 
As a next step, the United Nations Economic Commission Africa (UNECA) has engaged the expertise of the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN) Foundation to provide technical assistance to the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) in developing a regional Circular Economy Action Plan and blue and circular economy innovative financing Mechanism for all African Island states, charting the pathway toward a regional blue and circular economy transition. This work includes well-considered regional strategic priorities and actions across the agricultural, fisheries, tourism, waste management, construction, energy and water sectors, which are very pivotal to the region’s economic development.

In addition to consulting national and regional resource persons during the inventory and co-creation of the document, the validation workshop represents a crucial milestone in the shared vision creating process and finalising the action plan. Its primary goal is to bring together key stakeholders from government, industry, civil society, and academia to review, refine, and validate the proposed action plan. This collaborative process is essential to ensuring that the solutions are practical, inclusive, and aligned with the priorities of each country. This workshop will provide a great opportunity to foster alignment and strengthen key regional partnerships among all stakeholders, to ensure the successful implementation of the action plan.

Objectives of the Workshop

The workshop aims to achieve the following:

1. Present the draft of the circular economy action plan and the circular and blue funding mechanism to key stakeholders for comprehensive review, input and validation:
   
   • Showcase importance of transitioning to a circular economy and its long-term benefits to increase knowledge and build widespread support, emphasizing circular economy’s potential to drive economic growth, job creation, reduce waste, enhance resource efficiency, and create sustainable livelihoods.
   • Engage stakeholders in discussions to ensure the circular economy action plan and blue and circular funding mechanism are feasible, context-specific, and in line with the region's sustainable development goals and the priorities of the individual countries. Discuss and gather perspectives on potential barriers to the adoption of the action plan and identify strategies to overcome these challenges through capacity building, policy adjustments, and resource mobilisation across the countries.
   • Foster collaboration between governments, private sector actors, civil society organizations, and international partners to enhance regional implementation of circular economy initiatives.
2. Organize a round table toengage technical and financial partners to identify roles and strengthen commitment to implement the action plan and proposed financing mechanism in partnership with IOC.
3. Enhance knowledge of members of and launch  the Working Group of Circular Economy Experts from African and Indian Ocean Island States:

Documents