Scaling Investment: The Mangrove Breakthrough
Contributed by Ignace Beguin Billecocq, Executive Director, Mangrove Breakthrough; Advisory Board Member – MENA Oceans
The MENA Oceans Network
is a groundbreaking collaborative platform uniting diverse ocean-linked stakeholders across the Middle East and North Africa region.
About The Network
The MENA Oceans Network was announced at COP28 UAE in the Ocean Pavilion, with high-level support from global ocean leaders including UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean Amb. Peter Thomson; Ex-Ocean Lead of the UN Climate Change High Level Champions Team Ignace Beguin Billecocq; Chief Economist at the UN-UAE Resident Office Dr. Raidan Al Saqqaf, and Executive Director of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, Ahmed Alhashmi.
The Network is a collaborative platform dedicated to accelerating regional ocean action by bringing together policymakers, academics, researchers, private sector innovators, and youth and community representatives.
Through knowledge sharing, targeted action on critical gaps, and solutions-focused working groups, the Network works to break silos and build strategic partnerships to conserve and restore ocean ecosystems, advance sustainable blue economies, and address shared regional priorities and transboundary challenges, benefitting the MENA region’s marine environments and coastal communities.
Founding Members
A curated and highly committed group of leading regional and international organisations and institutions working at the forefront of ocean action in the MENA region.
MENA Oceans Network: Domain Specialists
Leading experts in marine and coastal sustainability — from policy to research to technical practice — providing trusted guidance and insights that advance our collective impact.
Objectives
Why Join?
- Access to a unique, cross-sector collaborative platform that fosters innovative solutions to regional ocean challenges;
- Opportunity to contribute to and benefit from shared knowledge and resources, amplifying individual efforts for greater collective impact; and
- Direct involvement in shaping policies and initiatives that will define the future of ocean conservation and sustainable blue economies in the MENA region.
Insights & News
Red Sea Reveals Hidden Oases of Life
Contributed by Ms. Taiba Alamoudi, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Domain Specialist –
Coral Reefs at Risk: Global Call to Protect Coral Reefs
Contributed by International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), Founding Member – MENA Oceans Network A major