Key Dates:

1974 The first steps toward an interdisciplary research programme for the Red Sea are taken at a workshop organized by UNESCO in Bremerhaven, Germany, at the request of ALECSO.

1974 ALECSO organizes the Jeddah First Expert meeting to forumulate a cooperative regional programme for environmental studies of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and to begin drafting a convention to protect the sea from pollution.

1976 In January, the Jeddah II Conference approves an Action Plan for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, adopts a convention for the conservation of the marine environment, establishes regional mechanisms for implementing the convention, and initiates cooperative action to establish a monitoring network and a regional programme for scientific research.

1981 A meeting of legal and environmental experts is held in January to approve a new action plan, convention, and protocol for cooperation in combating oil pollution.

1982 In February, the Jeddah Convention for the Conservation of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Environment is signed by six coastal States and Palestine, along with the Protocol concerning Regional Cooperation in Combating Pollution by Oil and other Harmful Substances in Cases of Emergency, as well as a revised Action Plan including a strong chapter on environmental management.

1995 the first meeting of the PERSGA Council of Ministers in September results in the Cairo Declaration, formally establishing the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA).

1995 Preparation of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP) for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden is initiated in October with the first meeting of the SAP Task Force in Jeddah.

1998 The revised SAP is formally set in motion following the Signing Ceremony in December.

2005 PERSGA Member states sign two protocols concerning the "Protection of Marine Environment from Land Based Activities" and "Biodiversity and Establishment of Marine Protected Areas".

2006 Inaguration of Emergency Mutual Aid Center for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden "EMARSGA" at Hurghada Egypt.

2007 PERSGA Organizes the 9th Global Meeting of the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans in Jeddah.

2009 PERSGA Member states sing the protocol concerning the "Movement of Equipment and Personnel during Marine Emergency"