The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO has established a Sub-Commission for Africa and the Adjacent Island States (IOC-Africa), as a framework to improve the Commission’s visibility, facilitate coordination among the Member States in the region, and to ensure the efficient implementation of IOC programmes in Africa. The secretariat of the Sub Commission is located at the UNESCO Nairobi Office, Kenya.

IOC-Africa is a regional Sub Commission, hence activities implemented from the UNESCO Nairobi Office will be regional and will cover several African countries, some of which are outside the geographic mandate of the UNESCO Nairobi Office. The activities that will be implemented in the region in the current biennium are in line with the IOC Medium Term Strategy for 2008-2013, and will focus on the following:

• Prevention and reduction of the impacts of natural hazards

• Mitigation of the impacts of and adaptation to climate change and variability

• Safeguarding the health of oceans ecosystems

• Management procedures and policies leading to the sustainability of coastal and ocean environment and resources.