More than fifty Members and Observers are taking part in the 19th Meeting of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD), which went underway on 7 June 2021. The three-day meeting virtually hosted by Slovenia will examine a report on sustainable development activities carried out from June 2019 - May 2021, and review progress in the implementation of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development. A roundtable is also scheduled to take place on 8 June to discuss the “achievement of the SDGs and the transition towards a sustainable blue economy for a post-COVID green renaissance in the Mediterranean”.
The MCSD was established twenty-five years ago in line with Article 4 of the Barcelona Convention as an advisory body to the Contracting Parties to assist them in their efforts to integrate environmental issues in their socio-economic programmes and to promote sustainable development policies in the region and at national level.
Acting as a forum for experience-sharing and peer-learning, the Commission is unique in its composition and includes, in addition to government representatives, local authorities, socio-economic actors, non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, the scientific community and parliamentarians. All MCSD members participate in its deliberations on an equal footing. The MCSD notably coordinates the implementation and follow-up of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD), as a strategic framework document for all stakeholders and partners to translate the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at regional, sub-regional, national and local levels.
Through their work and commitment across sectors, members of the MCSD provide a crucial contribution to advancing sustainability in the Mediterranean, with the MSSD serving as a blueprint for collective and coordinated action.
Members and Observers attending the 19th Meeting of the MCSD will notably pore over the integration of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP), examine the extent to which MSSD Flagship Initiatives by UNEP/MAP partners have contributed to achieving sustainability in the region and hear the findings of the mid-term evaluations of the MSSD and the SCP Regional Plan.
Slovenia assumes the Presidency of the MCSD
The outgoing President of the MCSD, Ms. Ivana Stojanovic of Montenegro, highlighted the region’s challenges in relation to the achievement of Agenda 2030 and the SDGs, and called for available regional tools within the MCSD to foster integration with the global frameworks. Ms. Stojanovic also spoke of her country’s commitment to sustainability and regional cooperation.
In a recorded video message, H.E. Andrej Vizjak, Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning of Slovenia, invited the MCSD to formulate clear proposals for the transition to a sustainable blue economy in the pursuit of a green renaissance in the Mediterranean. The reference that Minister Vizjak made to the green renaissance, a post-COVID recovery that would put the Mediterranean region on a course to securing a resilient and sustainable future, echoes calls issued by the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention Secretariat to turn the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic into an opportunity.
“Slovenia will do everything to strengthen the partnership with you to achieve our common goal in the sea we share,” Minister Vizjak said.
The UNEP/MAP Acting Coordinator Tatjana Hema congratulated Montenegro on a productive mandate and commended Slovenia’s commitment to advancing sustainability in the region. She observed in her speech that “this year coincides with the 45th anniversary of the adoption of the Barcelona Convention and the 25th Anniversary of the MCSD”, noting that the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development was adopted for the first time 16 years ago in Portoroz, Slovenia”. The MCSD Meeting chaired by Slovenia is taking place just a few weeks before the country assumes the EU Presidency in the second half of 2021. “This represents a unique opportunity to amplify our calls for a green renaissance in the Mediterranean,” Ms. Hema said.
A crucial step on the road to COP 22
Recalling the significance of the Naples Ministerial Declaration adopted at COP 21, the UNEP/MAP Acting Coordinator called for continued support to the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system. Ms. Hema said that, when they meet at COP 22 in December 2021, “the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention will examine a raft of regional plans and decisions prepared by UNEP/MAP and aiming to curb pollution and bolster sustainability.”
COP 22 will provide an opportunity for the Contracting Parties to take stock of this year’s major conferences, including UNEA-5, Climate and Biodiversity COPs, the IUCN World Conservation Congress, and the High-level Political Forum in the context of the decade of action for the SDGs, and to discuss pathways to ‘flick the green switch’ for a sustainable, resilient and inclusive future in the Mediterranean.
“As the most inclusive body of the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system, the contribution of the MCSD will be crucial. Our meeting will deepen the collective reflection on activating the green renaissance, including through a circular economy and more sustainable consumption and production patterns,” Ms. Hema said.
“Turning words into deeds will be crucial, and policy forums, such as those offered by our partners in the Union for the Mediterranean and other MCSD Members, could facilitate a greater integration of the legal instruments and implementation tools offered by the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system,” the UNEP/MAP Acting Coordinator pursued.
Recognizing the contributions of former UNEP/MAP Coordinator Gaetano Leone
The UNEP/MAP Acting Coordinator concluded her opening speech by applauding what the former UNEP/MAP Coordinator Gaetano Leone, who has recently retired after a long career with the United Nations, including eight years at the helm of UNEP/MAP, has accomplished. “Gaetano brought a lot to the UNEP/MAP – Barcelona Convention system. He deftly delivered three successful COPs where important, forward-looking and strong commitments were taken by the Contracting Parties. His leadership and special contribution to the strengthening of the MAP-Barcelona Convention system will continue inspiring us in the future."
