The Fourth Steering Committee (SC) Meeting of the project "Protection of the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem Canary" (CCLME) was held in Banjul, The Gambia from 2 to 4 December 2013. Representatives of seven countries participating in the project (Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariat of the Abidjan and the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU) Convention attended the meeting. A number of co-financing partners and other partner organizations attended the meeting as observers. The list of participants is presented in Annex 1. The following conclusions/recommendations were made during CCLME fourth SC meeting:  Congratulates the RCU for the presentation of the working groups reports, of the report on the CCLME projects of demonstration which shows the state of progress of the project and highlights the work carried out between the sessions of November 2012 and 2013.  Recommends to the RCU to ensure effective dissemination of the working groups reports, of the technical workshops and other project documents to the Focal Points and Technical coordinators of the countries members of the CCLME project.  Congratulates Senegal, the Gambia and Guinea for the organization of the first meeting of their National Inter-ministry Committees (NIC) in their countries and stresses the importance and the need to put in place these National Inter-ministry Committees in other countries of the CCLME project as soon as possible.  Invites the project to process the data of the ecosystem surveys as soon as possible to integrate their results into the TDA.  Appreciates the financial and technical contribution made by EAF-Nansen to strengthen CCLME activities, including the capacity building of member countries and scientific surveys.  Appreciates the contribution of the IEO (Spain) to the realization of the scientific activities of the CCLME, including the conduct of studies on the benthos and the sediment in the framework of ecosystem surveys.  Recognizes the importance of the role of other partners for the achievement of the objectives of the project and thank them for their technical and financial support.  Asks the RCU to support the requests of member States for the implementation of national activities under the project.  Congratulates the RCU for the preparation of the first draft of the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) document of the CCLME project and requests its presentation within the NICs of the countries through their Focal Points and Technical Coordinators  Approves all the recommendations of the mid-term evaluation of the CCLME project carried out in April-June 2013 including the extension of the project of 1 year as suggested by the mission and endorsed by the FAO headquarters  Approves the 2014 work plan with the budget proposed by the RCU.  Thanks the authorities of the Republic of the Gambia for the warm hospitality of this fourth Steering Committee meeting in Banjul and all amenities which have benefited the participants.  Thanks Mauritania and Guinea for their proposal to host the next CCLME Steering Committee meeting for which the exact date and finally selected country will be announced by the RCU.

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