The joint event between the African Development Bank and the Government of Senegal positioned the International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC) Dakar 2027 as a strategic African milestone for accelerating marine and coastal biodiversity conservation. Scheduled for 22–27 March 2027 in Dakar, Senegal, the congress marked the first time the global gathering was to be hosted on the African continent.

The session provided a platform to mobilize development partners, technical institutions, civil society, coastal communities, and private-sector actors around Senegal’s leadership and Africa’s priorities for ocean governance, marine protected areas, and sustainable blue economy pathways. Framed under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the event highlighted the contribution of marine protected areas to the global 30x30 target, ecosystem resilience, community-based conservation, climate adaptation, and sustainable financing.

The discussion also explored how multilateral development banks and partners could support Senegal and other African countries in translating biodiversity commitments into investable programs, strengthening institutional cooperation, and scaling up action ahead of IMPAC Dakar 2027.

The event highlighted a broad partnership coalition comprising the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Fondation Hans Wilsdorf, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Office français de la biodiversité, World Bank, Wetlands International, Agence française de développement, Blue Nature Alliance, Oceans 5, Blue Action Fund, the Republic of Chile as a leader of the First Movers Coalition, Réseau MedPAN, Réseau régional d’aires marines protégées en Afrique de l’Ouest, Canada, and Colombia as President of the Marine Protected Area Agencies Partnership.