Decision 8/13 (C) of the eighth session of the governing council of UNEP called for the development of an action plan for the protection and development of marine and coastal environments Of East African region. As a result, UNEP in 1981 organized joint UNEP/UN/UNIDO/FAO/UNESCO/WHO/IMCO/IUCN exploratory mission which visited the eight states of the region in order to assess each states interest in participating in a future regional programme and make preliminary assessment of environmental assessment of the environmental problems in the region, including the problems related to the environmentally sound management of marine resources and activities influencing the quality of the marine and coastal ecosystems