Accra, March 21, GNA - Mr Cletus Avoka, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology on Monday stressed the need to protect the marine and coastal environment as they serve as sources of social and economic livelihood for the population.

He said the marine environment provides the essential source of protein for most of the population while the fishing industry is the mainstay of the economy of the coastal areas.

Mr Avoka was speaking at the opening of the Fifth Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for Co-operation in the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and the Coastal Environment of the West and Central Africa Region (Abidjan Convention).

The Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology is hosting it with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

The Abidjan Convention, which 16 countries are parties to, is an agreement for co-operation in combating pollution in case of emergency. Delegates for the Accra meeting include Ministers of Environment and their technical advisors from the contracting parties to the Abidjan and Nairobi Conventions and senior level representatives of a number of sub-regional and international bodies.

Mr Avoka said though water constitute about 71 per cent of the earth's surface it turns to be the receptacle for all kinds of waste and other forms of pollution such as discharges from ships and aircraft, from land-based sources, oil exploration and testing of nuclear weapons.

"Unfortunately most of our countries have not been able to strike the right balance between the marine environment as a source of social and economic livelihood for our populations and the negative consequences that are associated with various development actions."

The Minister mentioned the lack of commitment, effective co-ordination and failure to integrate the goals of the convention as major constraints facing its implementation.

Ghana, he said, has endeavoured to be part of the global efforts towards addressing the issues of the marine and coastal environment by signing and ratifying other critical Conventions especially those relating to pollution of the marine environment.

Ghana has also put in place, among other things, an Oil Spill Contingency Plan and has started the sensitivity mapping of the coastline and the Volta Lake with the assistance IMO.

"All these actions are being taken in view of the importance which the country, as a coastal state, attaches to the marine and coastal environment." Mr. Jean-Claude Sainlos, Senior Deputy Director of Marine Environment Division, IMO, said fishing and tourism are the key sectors affected by marine pollution and expressed the hope that the meeting would provide the opportunity to solve the problem.

Mr Magnus Teye Addico, Secretary General, Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa, advocated for the establishment of a Coast Guard Network to fight against pollution and at the same time as security measure.

He said the order of the day is that countries that could not integrated are widely marginalised by international organisations and stressed the need for them to recognise the efforts made by these countries to achieve integration.

Mr. Dixon Waruinge, Project Co-ordinator, UNEP, said he hope that participants would come out with a budget and working plan at the end of their deliberations.