50th Anniversary
of the Barcelona Convention
INFO/RAC to participate in the First Session of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance
The next 6–7 July 2026, the first session of the Global Dialogue on AI Governance will take place in Geneva. The two-day event will include a high-level segment, thematic sessions, and side events. During the event, the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence will also present its preliminary report. Established by the United Nations General Assembly, the AI Dialogue is the United Nations platform where all governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society come together to discuss international cooperation, share best practices and lessons learned, and facilitate open, transparent, and inclusive discussions on artificial intelligence governance.
World Ocean Day 2026
World Ocean Day, celebrated on June 8, is an international event dedicated to the protection of marine ecosystems and to raising awareness of the ocean’s fundamental role in climate regulation and life on Earth. The very name of the day recalls the idea of a single global ocean system, which is why it is referred to as “World Ocean Day” in the singular rather than “World Oceans Day.” The 2026 edition is expected to be the largest ever held, with thousands of events in more than 178 countries and the involvement of millions of people.
ASI2 of ACCOBAMS: “Song of the Whale” has set sail
The research vessel Song of the Whale has officially departed from the port of Vilamoura, Portugal. With its departure, the second ACCOBAMS Survey Initiative (ASI2) has begun, involving monitoring campaigns across the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Atlantic waters.
Over the next three months, scientists from several countries in the region will rotate onboard the sailing vessel to collect data on cetaceans, marine megafauna, and marine litter. The research activities will combine visual observations from the ship’s platform with acoustic monitoring, with particular attention to deep-diving species such as sperm whales.
World Environment Day 2026: Climate at the Center of the Global Agenda
World Environment Day 2026 places climate change and its impacts on ecosystems at the center of international attention. The main event takes place on 5 June 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the host country chosen to lead the global debate on the climate crisis. Building on this path, the national campaign for World Environment Day 2026 highlights the planetary crises of climate change and ecosystem degradation, emphasizing their interconnected impacts on nature and society. The campaign focuses on climate action and on the signals the Earth is sending, with the goal of accelerating the global response to the climate and environmental crisis.
EU and UNEP/MAP strengthen cooperation for a sustainable Mediterranean
The partnership between the European Union and the UNEP/MAP–Barcelona Convention system is being further strengthened to address the major environmental challenges facing the Mediterranean region. Within the framework of the Egyptian Presidency of the Barcelona Convention, Eng. Sherif Eid Rahim, President of the Bureau of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and Chief Executive Officer of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, met with senior representatives of the European Commission in Brussels on 9 and 10 June.
Entry into Force of the Amendments to the Barcelona Convention SPA/BD Protocol Annexes adopted by COP24
The amendments to Annexes II and III of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity (SPA/BD Protocol), adopted during the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24), held in Cairo, Egypt, from 2 to 5 December 2025, have entered into force.
The changes introduced incorporate the most recent scientific knowledge and reflect the latest developments in other key global biodiversity instruments.
Plan Bleu publishes two studies on Mediterranean tourism in the face of climate change
The Mediterranean, one of the world’s leading tourist destinations with nearly 400 million visitors each year, is increasingly exposed to the impacts of the climate crisis. To address these challenges and promote adaptation strategies, Plan Bleu has published two new documents within the framework of the ADAPT-Pelagos project, implemented with the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME).
PAP/RAC and Youth4CLIMED: Training for Coastal Climate Resilience
From 8 to 12 June 2026, the Climate Adaptation Summer School (CASS III) took place within the framework of the Youth4CLIMED project, with the technical and scientific contribution of PAP/RAC. The initiative brought together 16 Erasmus+ students from Croatia, Italy, Türkiye and Spain, with the aim of strengthening understanding of climate change challenges and developing practical skills for climate adaptation and sustainable coastal planning.
Copernicus Marine Service launches MyOcean Health
Ocean Intelligence for everyone. This is the objective of MyOcean Health, a new digital platform designed to make the understanding of the ocean as simple as possible. Presented by the Copernicus Marine Service, implemented by Mercator Ocean International on behalf of the European Commission, MyOcean Health transforms more than 30 years of ocean observations and modelled data into accessible indicators, interactive visualisations, and real-time information on the state of the ocean.
Image: MyOcean Health demonstration by Fabrice Messal from Mercator Ocean international at Digital Ocean Week in Brussels. Credit: European Union, Copernicus Marine Service Information (2026) Mercator Ocean.
#EUBeachCleanup 2026: For a Cleaner Ocean
Every year, millions of tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans, threatening ecosystems, marine life, and the health of our communities. To address this challenge, #EUBeachCleanup was launched, an international campaign promoted by the European Union in partnership with the United Nations and the Smurfs. The initiative brings together citizens, associations, institutions, and volunteers from around the world in practical environmental clean-up actions, encouraging everyone to help protect our planet through simple yet meaningful activities. The campaign’s flagship date is 20 September 2026, marking World Cleanup Day.
First strategies of the EU for islands and coastal communities
The European Commission has adopted for the first time two specific strategies, one for EU islands and one for coastal communities. It is a new European approach to support both types of territories and therefore unlock their potential also in the long term.
The initiatives concern 17 million people living in over 4,000 islands spread across 16 Member States, including the three island nations of Cyprus, Ireland and Malta, and 95 million citizens – equal to 21% of the EU population – living along the 70,000 kilometres of European coasts or in the coastal areas of 22 countries.
