The workshop aimed to kick-start a preparatory process to co-develop the next Marine Regions Forum Conference in the Western Indian Ocean with key regional actors and stakeholders. Participants and workshop hosts explored the current challenges and opportunities for regional cooperation as well as areas where the Marine Regions Forum can deliver to facilitate the advancement of regional ocean governance processes.

Along with the Marine Regions Forum team, the workshop was organized and co-hosted with regional partners from the Nairobi Convention Secretariat and CORDIO East Africa, with financial support from the Swedish Ministry of the Environment and the European Commission. Workshop speakers, panelists, and working group co-hosts included the following:

• Denis Matatiken (Ministry of Environment, Energy, Climate Change, Seychelles)
• Helen Ågren (Ambassador for the Ocean, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Sweden)
• Angelique Pouponneau (Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust – SeyCCAT)
• Aboud Jumbe (Ministry of Blue Economy and Fisheries, Zanzibar)
• Yvonne Waweru (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit – GIZ)
• David Obura (Coastal Oceans Research and Development Indian Ocean – CORDIO East Africa)
• Jacqueline Uku (Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association – WIOMSA and Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute – KMFRI)
• Adnan Awad (The Nature Conservancy)
• Kieran Kelleher (Fisheries, Oceans & Marine Law Specialist)
• Aurore Maillet (European Commission)