Meeting of the MAP Focal Points: a key milestone on the road to COP23
Focal points of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) met in Istanbul on 12-15 September 2023 and paved the way for the 23th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols (COP 23, 4-8 December 2023, Portoroz, Slovenia). Meetings of the MAP Focal Points, which take place prior to COPs (convened every two years), constitute important milestones as part of the intergovernmental process that UNEP/MAP has been steering since its inception in 1975.
Final Climagine participatory foresight workshop, Bay of Kotor, Montenegro
On July 4, 2023, Michaël Karner, Project Manager at Plan Bleu, co-hosted the fourth and final workshop of the Climagine cycle in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. The workshop took place in the town of Tivat.
This participatory workshop aims to support the development of the Coastal Plan for this region, led by PAP/RAC. These activities are part of the MedProgramme Project 2.1, financed by the Global Environmental Facility and carried out by UNEP/MAP.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Bay of Kotor is a key Mediterranean laboratory for climate change adaptation, biodiversity conservation, blue economy and sustainable tourism
A three-pronged endeavor for a PCB-free Mediterranean
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organic compounds that used to be produced worldwide but are now banned under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), a global treaty aiming to eliminate or restrict the production, use and trade of chemicals that are recognized as persistent, bio-accumulative and harmful to human and environmental health. Read here to know the three facts about what the MedProgramme is doing for a PCB-free Mediterranean.
The 2023 edition of Mediterranean Coast Day spotlights coastal aquifers
Mediterranean Coast Day (25 September) is an annual observance introduced by the Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP). PAP/RAC, the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre dedicated to the protection and sustainable management of the coastal zones, established Mediterranean Coast Day within the framework of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Protocol to the Barcelona Convention.
The official Mediterranean Coast Day ceremony, jointly organized by PAP/RAC and the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), will take place on 25 September 2023 in Vlore, Albania, with the support of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment of Albania. This year’s edition will focus on coastal aquifers. This will provide an opportunity to advocate for an integrated approach to the mangement of groundwater resources and the coastal ecosystems they underpin.
Zero draft text of the international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment
UNEP has recently published the “zero draft” of the Global treaty against plastic pollution to discuss about next international meeting in Nairobi (Kenya) in November.
The intergovernmental negotiating committee is to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, which could include both binding and voluntary approaches, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the full life cycle of plastic, taking into account, among other things, the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, as well as national circumstances and capabilities.
1st EU Algae Awareness Summit in Paris from 5 to 7 October
From 5 to 7 October, the European Commission, the French Government, and the Global Seaweed Coalition will host the first-ever EU Algae Awareness Summit in Paris, with the support of the Oceanographic Institute, Prince Albert I of Monaco Foundation.
The summit will kick off a process of raising awareness among EU Member States’ administrations and the public about the various benefits that algae cultivation can bring to national and regional economies, to people, and to the regeneration of our Ocean.
Towards an exemplary Mediterranean by 2030: promising signs of progress
The Plan of Action for a Model Mediterranean Sea by 2030 (PAMEx) and its Local Investment Finance Facility (PLIFF) held their second Steering Committee meeting online on 18 July 2023. The meeting reviewed progress in the implementation of the 20 concrete actions that PAMEx encompasses.
Meeting of the Steering Committee of the MED 2050 project
MED 2050 is a foresight exercice with a triple objective: to ensure the long-term protection of the Mediterranean marine ecosystem; provide long-term insights useful for the region’s transition towards sustainable development; and finally prevent the major risks of crises or ruptures that could have an impact on sustainable development by 2050.
On July 5, 2023, the Steering Committee of the MED 2050 project met for the third time since the launch of the project in 2019.
CALL FOR PROJECTS: Involvement of Local Civil Society Organizations in SPAMI sustainable management
The primary objective of this call for proposals is to enhance the participation of local civil society organizations in the sustainable management of their SPAMIs.
To this end, six organizations operating within the following SPAMIs – Miramare MPA, Porto Cesareo MPA, and Isola di Mal di Ventre-Peninsola del Sinis MPA in Italy, the nature reserve of Palm Islands in Lebanon, Al Hoceima Natural Park in Morocco, and Zembra & Zembretta National Park in Tunisia – will be selected to receive grants aimed at supporting their environmental management and sustainable development initiatives within their respective SPAMIs. Applications must be sent by 20 September 2023 (23:59 UTC+1, Tunis time) at the latest, only by email to: car-asp@spa-rac.org
