Odyssey Reloaded: “Gone with the Wind”!
Launched last January by Ms. Tatjana Hema, Coordinator of the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention, “Odyssey Reloaded”, the digital campaign born to celebrate 50 years of action for our sea and coasts by UNEP/MAP, continues its journey across the Mediterranean under full sail.
Created by INFO/RAC, Odyssey Reloaded is a network of routes in a virtual MAP ship that disseminates all the initiatives planned by UNEP/MAP, Contracting Parties, MAP Partners, and other stakeholders within the Mediterranean region.
IECFA Award is still open!!!
There is a new deadline to participate at the 5th edition of the Istanbul Environment-Friendly City Award (IEFCA): you can submit your application by 5th May 2025.
IEFCA is a prestigious award that recognizes the contributions of cities and local authorities in supporting the UNEP/MAP vision for a healthy Mediterranean Sea and Coast. The Award is one of the flagship initiatives of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD 2016-2025) and recognises the role and collaboration of Mediterranean coastal cities and their Local Authorities in achieving UNEP/MAP’s vision of a healthy Mediterranean Sea and coastline in the context of sustainable development.
New deadline: 5th May 2025 via the platform developed by INFO/RAC, the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre
Circular Economy embodies a Just Transition
Climate change is undeniably complex. There is no other way to go about it. Complexities exist from calculating and understanding emissions and their impacts on human and environmental health to the multilateral environmental processes established to address the challenge presented, and of course navigating negotiations for advocating policy actions. Yet, despite these layers of complexities, the simple truth is that how we behave matters. Addressing sustainable consumption and production (SCP) drives deep into the heart of climate change complexities. The circular economy is a map and model to exercise practices to bring about the change we need and want.
INFO/RAC at the Third Annual Stocktaking Meeting of the MedProgramme
INFO/RAC participated in the Third Annual Stocktaking Meeting of the MedProgramme, which was held from April 8 to 10, 2025, in Istanbul. The meeting is part of the Global Environment Facility-funded Mediterranean Sea Programme “Enhancing Environmental Security” (GEF ID 9607) and was organized by UNEP/MAP in cooperation with the implementing agencies UNEP and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as the implementing partners of the eight smaller MedProgramme projects (plus FishEBM).
This year’s theme, “The MedProgramme: Greater than the Sum of its Parts” guided the discussions. The focus was on exploring how a ripple effect can be created through greater collaboration between projects, countries, and sectors. The principal theme of the three days of the meeting was:Integration is an art, Putting the pieces together, Closing the circle.
EEA launches “Our Environment: Our Future” Campaign
“Our Environment: Our Future” is a new communication campaign by the European Environment Agency (EEA), offering a platform to share the collective effort for a sustainable future.
If you have a story about how you made a positive difference in improving our environment and helping to build a more sustainable future, you can share it in the “Our Environment: Our Future” outreach campaign.
The campaign aims to recognize these efforts and inspire others to take similar actions to improve the environment.
hese actions can be big or small, ordinary or extraordinary—the important thing is making a positive impact.
CORMON Biodiversity and Fisheries – 7-8 april 2025
On April 7th and 8th, the Specially Protected Areas Regional Activity Centre (SPA/RAC) hosted the second meeting of the Ecosystem Approach Correspondence Group on Monitoring (CORMON) for Biodiversity and Fisheries for the 2024-2025 biennium in Athens.
Fifteen Contracting Parties and international partners, including ACCOBAMS, ETC-UMA, IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Initiative PIM, WWF Mediterranean, GFCM, and the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention Coordinating Unit, gathered in Athens to discuss the sustainable management of Mediterranean biodiversity and fisheries.
The meeting focused primarily on the development of IMAP Ecological Objectives 4 and 6, the elaboration of monitoring and assessment elements for IMAP Common Indicators CI1 and CI2, a progress update on Common Indicator 24, and planning for upcoming work in the 2026-2027 biennium.
New Leaflet by REMPEC
REMPEC, the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea, has published a new information brochure to raise awareness and understanding of theMediterranean Sulphur Emission Control Area (Med SOx ECA).
The brochure provides key informationon the regulatory framework, benefits, and implementation process of theMed SOx ECA, a major initiative aimed at reducing air pollution from ships and improving air quality in the Mediterranean region.
It is also a valuable resource for stakeholders—including maritime administrations, ship owners, operators, and the general public—to stay informed about the latest developments and compliance requirements.
EU Waste Prevention Checkup
According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) report titled “Preventing Waste in Europe — Progress and Challenges, with a Focus on Food Waste” more effective efforts at the national level are needed to address the growing problem of food waste.
The report indicates that, in 2022, approximately 132 kilograms of food waste per person were generated across the European Union, amounting to just over 59 million tonnes of food waste.
The environmental and economic impacts of this are significant. The assessment provides the latest bi-annual check-up on waste prevention actions, using data and trends in support of the EU’s Waste Framework Directive.
EU Member States have taken steps to prevent food waste, investing in monitoring, awareness campaigns, and education. To accelerate progress, the EU is close to adopting two binding food waste reduction targets for 2030. These include a 10% reduction in food waste at the processing and manufacturing stages, and a 30% per capita reduction at the retail and consumer levels.
Let’s PCTO!
The event “A Lesson in Environmental Governance: Discovering Actions for the Mediterranean Sea and Its Coasts“, organized as part of the PCTO (Paths of Transversal Skills and Guidance) by ISPRA and INFO/RAC, is back.
This year’s third edition of the training course involves twenty students from the “Louis Pasteur” State Scientific High School in Rome.
We meet Professor Stefano Pepe, from the Louis Pasteur Scientific High School in Rome, who is also the tutor for the students involved in the initiative.
Aquaculture Campaign: ‘Working for You with Passion’
The “Aquaculture in the EU: Working for You with Passion”campaign was launched on 25 March in Brussels.
Developed in collaboration with Member States and the Aquaculture Advisory Council, the campaign aims to raise awareness, understanding, and support for the development of aquaculture—the farming of fish, mollusks, and seaweed—in the EU.
Over the next three months, the campaign will highlight the dedication and commitment of EU producers to sustainable aquaculture and the supply of high-quality products. It will also showcase the benefits of growing this industry within the EU. By increasing production in the EU, we can reduce our dependence on food imports and stimulate local economies.
The European State of the Climate 2024 is coming
The European State of the Climate Report 2024, jointly published by the Copernicus Climate Change Serviceand the World Meteorological Organization, will be released on April 15.
Produced by about 100 collaborators as well as the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization, the report analyzes key data on the climate conditions of the year, providing an overview of the state of the climate in Europe in 2024.
