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Lire en français The January 2021 issue of the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention Secretariat’s newsletter “MED News”, produced by INFO-RAC, is now available online.

On 14 December 2020, a mere 48 hours after the Climate Ambition Summit, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) organized an online encounter with its members and with lawmakers from across the region.

Ninety participants, including representatives of twenty (out of twenty-two) Contracting Parties and of several MAP Partners, as well as scientists and experts from across the Mediterranean region, took part in the Integrated Meetings of the Ecosystem Approach Correspondence Groups on IMAP Implementation (CORMONs), which took place online from 1-3 December 2020.

In addition to bolstering the management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean, the IMAP-MPA project (funded by the European Union) is supporting the uptake and implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP), a landmark instrument adopted by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention with a

On 6 November 2020 Gaetano Leone, Coordinator of the UN Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP), took part in the webinar organized by Legambiente and titled “Networking for tackling marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea”, which took place in the context of the digital edition of Ecomondo, an international event dedicated to green tech

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in cooperation with the Open Universiteit of the Netherlands, will launch the 4th free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Marine Litter as a key activity of The Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML). It is also part of the Clean Seas Campaign. The MOOC’s aim is to stimulate leadership and offer opportunities for actionable and change oriented learning, related to marine litter and microplastics.

Representatives of international media organizations attended a briefing on the State of the Environment and Development in the Mediterranean (SoED) report, which has been produced by UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre Plan Bleu.

On 29 September 2020 UNEP/MAP and its Mediterranean Marine Litter Node, in coordination with the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML), hosted a webinar to shed light on the mooted issue of plastic waste caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ocean literacy will be the focus of the Mediterranean online workshop, which will take place on Coast Day (25 September 2020) at 14:00 - 16:30 CEST. Co-organized and facilitated by ACTeon (coordinator of the EU4Ocean coalition), the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system, with the Regional Activity Centres Plan Bleu (PB/RAC) and Priority Actions Programme (PAP/RAC) as co-organizers, EMSEA Med and the BlueMed initiative, the online workshop provides an opportunity to build promising ocean literacy actions in a participatory and inclusive manner.

The Mediterranean needs you A message from Gaetano Leone, Coordinator, UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention Secretariat

Maritime traffic and offshore oil and gas exploration and production constitute important drivers of marine pollution in the Mediterranean.

On Monday 7 September the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) organized a global online event to mark the first edition of International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies.

The Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP)—Barcelona Convention Secretariat is marking the first edition of the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on 7 September 2020.

The European Ocean Coalition (EU4Ocean) launched on 8 June 2020 (World Oceans Day). The initiative connects organizations, projects and people that contribute to ocean literacy and to the sustainable management of the ocean. Supported by the European Commission, the initiative, which was launched on World Ocean Day, aims at boosting public awareness and advocacy for a healthy ocean across the European Union.

The Secretariat of the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols invites Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) to apply for accreditation as partners of the Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP). Accredited NGOs are referred to as MAP Partners. Partnerships offer a mechanism for all actors to become involved in the work of UNEP/MAP in support of the implementation of the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols.

UNEP/MAP Deputy Coordinator Tatjana Hema will speak at the event organized by the

Ms. Letícia Carvalho, Head of the Marine and Fresh Water Branch at the Ecosystem Division of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will speak at the 2020 edition of the Forum Mondial de la Mer, which will take place on the 15th July 2020. [Registration is mandatory: https://bit.ly/38hz3Ax].

In response to the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, Mediterranean countries are in the process of introducing policy, measures and stimulus packages to support recovery. Millions of jobs are on the line and according to initial estimates, lockdowns aiming to weather the pandemic will have already knocked several percentage points off national income. Yet, despite the trail of destruction that COVID-19 is leaving in its wake, the region must seize a historic opportunity to recover better.

The United Nations proclaimed 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The slogan chosen for the 2020 edition of IBD –“Our solutions are in nature”— emphasizes the importance of working together at all levels to build a future of life in harmony with nature.

The Advisory Committee of the Strategic Action Programme for the Conservation of the Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean Region (SAPBIO) held an online meeting on 2 April 2020 to examine the roadmap for the elaboration of a post-2020 SAPBIO in the context of preparations for the post-2020 Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Started by WWF and partners as a symbolic lights-out event in Sydney in 2007, Earth Hour is now one of the world's largest grassroots movements for the environment. Held every year on the last Saturday of March, Earth Hour engages millions of people in more than 180 countries, switching off their lights to show support for our planet.  Earth Hour goes beyond the symbolic action of switching lights off and has become a catalyst for positive environmental impact.

The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2021–2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, following a proposal for action by over 70 countries from all latitudes. The UN Decade positions the restoration of ecosystems as a major nature-based solution towards meeting a wide range of global development goals and national priorities.

A new project implemented by the Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) and funded by the European Union went underway in March 2020 with the two-pronged aim of strengthening national capabilities in integrated monitoring of the Mediterranean Sea and coast and enhancing the management of marine protected areas in the Mediterranean region.

Women at the helm of green entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean Under the auspices of UNEP/MAP, the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention adopted in 2016 a Sustainable Consumption and Production Action Plan for the Mediterranean region.The UNEP/MAP’s Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP/RAC) provides support to Contracting Parties in its implementation, including through the Switchmed programme.

UNEP/MAP was instrumental in the introduction of a ban on single-use plastic bags in Tunisia. The ban, which entered into force on 1 March 2020 for supermarkets by virtue of Decree No. 32 dated 16 January 2020, prohibits the manufacturing, import and use of conventional single-use plastic bags. Compostable and reusable plastic bags will still be allowed in the market as an alternative, provided that they bear a specific marking. A comprehensive ban will be extended to all producers and suppliers of plastic bags by 1 January 2021.