Background
The Forum of Heads of Academic/Research Institutions in the Western Indian Ocean region is an autonomous network established by the UNEP, as the Secretariat of the Convention for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Eastern African region (Nairobi Convention) and the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA). It was established according to the decision of the Fourth Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Nairobi Convention, which was held in Madagascar in July 2004. The decision directed the Secretariat of the Nairobi Convention, in collaboration with other organizations, to facilitate the establishment of the Forum of Academic and Research Institutions in the region. More specifically the Forum was established to:
Facilitate the sharing of information between these institutions and the Nairobi Convention as well as amongst themselves;
The need for scientific and technical forum to review the implementation and the outputs of the Conventions work plans and projects;
Enhance cooperation amongst universities and research institutions in the region;
Coordinate and facilitate identification of opportunities for collaborative research that are in line with the work programme of the Nairobi Convention.
This decision acknowledged the fact that the heads of academic and research institutions in the region have an important role to play spearheading not only research and related activities in their respective institutions and countries but also in providing a critical linkage between researchers and decision-makers at different levels. This is due to the fact that as heads of institutions, they are well informed of what their researchers are doing and is familiar of the government’s decision-making processes because of their memberships to different government committees.
The Forum was established in recognition of the following limitations:
Absence of mechanism for linking research and academic institutions with decision-making processes at the regional level. There are no formal avenues for channeling information to and from research and academic institutions to regional mechanisms such as the Nairobi Convention or Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)’s Regional Committee for the Western Indian Ocean (IOC-WIO). This means results from research being conducted by the research institutions are not communicated directly to the decision-makers and consequently, leading to failure to influence decisions at that level and also feed-back and recognition for their work.
Inadequate visibility. Many research institutions have been around for a number of years, however for various reasons, their strength, opportunities they offer, facilities they have and their staff profile, are not known outside their countries.
Inadequate sharing and exchange of information amongst institutions. More research is being conducted in the region now in comparison to previous years. However, most of the institutions in the region are not aware what other institutions in the same country are doing, let alone those from other countries in the region. Absence of networks to foster research or information sharing among institutions, is contributing to such a situation.
Inadequate involvement of regional institutions in regional initiatives. A number of regional programmes/projects have been or are being initiated with limited involvement of regional organizations. Inadequate profiles of institutions, their expertise and facilities, are one of the main factors that have led to strengths and capability of regional institutions not to be known within and outside the region.
