News

The Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) and its Components are taking part in the Mediterranean Pavilion located in the Blue Zone at UNFCCC COP 27 (6-18 November 2022, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt).

The GEF-UNEP MedProgramme’s Annual Stocktaking Meeting (ASM) will be held on 2-3 November 2022 in Athens, Greece. “Assess – Synergize – Move forward” is the slogan chosen for the meeting.

The UNECE Ninth Environment for Europe (EfE) Ministerial Conference will be held in Nicosia, Cyprus, from 5-7 October 2022. This is the first time that the event takes place in a Mediterranean country.

150 scientists will take part in the "Mediterranean Symposia on Marine Vegetation, Coralligenous, Dark Habitats and Non-Indigenous Species", which will take place on 19-23 September 2022 in Genoa, Italy.

The Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) and its Components* will take part in the Mediterranean Pavilion located in the Blue Zone at UNFCCC COP 27 (6-18 November 2022, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt).

The world marks the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies on 7 September.

Athens, 2 September 2022—The Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) welcomes the decision of the Albanian authorities (dated 29 July 2022) to declare the Porto-Palermo Bay a "Nature Park". The protected area in Porto-Palermo Bay comprises marine and coastal landscapes and covers a total area of 1,694.98 hectares including 1,490.4 hectares of protected marine area.

Mediterranean Coast Day (25 September) is an annual observance introduced by the Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP).

IMAP-MPA, EcAp MED III and Marine Litter MED II, three projects funded by the European Union (EU) and executed by the Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP), recently held their Steering Committee meetings (on 7 June, 15 J

On 29 June 2022 a virtual side-event organized by the Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) explored pathways to accelerate the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by highlighting the strategies, instruments and tools that UNEP/MAP has developed with the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention in the pursuit of sustainable de

The Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) will take part in the 2022 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) to convey the voice of the Mediterranean, and share lessons learned from almost five decades of multilateral ocean governance, including on issues pertaining to plastic pollution where significant progress has been made well before the breakthrough achieved at UNEA 5.2.

The 78th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 78) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which convened on 6-10 June 2022, approved the designation of the Mediterranean Sea Emission Control Area for Sulphur Oxides and Particulate Matter (Med SOx ECA) under regulation 14 of Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).

On 17-18 May 2022 UNEP/MAP organized the Regional Meeting on “Marine Litter Best Practices” in Seville, Spain.

“Building a shared future for all life” is the slogan chosen for the 2022 edition of International Day for Biological Diversity (IBD, 22 May).

Discours de Madame Tatjana Hema, Coordonnatrice du PNUE/PAM Segment de haut niveau de la journée SPAMI Day Monaco, le 20 mai 2022 Son Altesse Sérénissime le Prince Albert II de Monaco, Professeur Mehmed Emin Birpinar, Vice-ministre de l'Environnement, de l'Urbanisme et du Changement climatique et Président du Bureau de la Convention de Barcelone,

Celebrations of the first edition of SPAMI Day will culminate in a special event to be held on 20 May 2022 in Monaco under the auspices and with the participation of H.S.H. Prince Albert II. [Programme] The live streaming will start on Friday, 20 May, at 09:00 CET.

On 9 May the UNEP/MAP Coordinator Tatjana Hema met with Leila Chikhaoui, Minister of the Environment of Tunisia, and heard an unequivocal statement of support to the Mediterranean Action Plan and commitment to the implementation of the Convention for the protection of the marine environment and the coastal region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention).

Ms. Leila Chikhaoui, Minister of the Environment of Tunisia, announced on 11 May 2022 the launch of a nationwide communication campaign aiming to boost citizen awareness and participation in the country’s ambitious efforts to phase out single-use plastic bags. The campaign titled “Let us be responsible” is supported by the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre ‘MedWaves’ specialized in sustainable consumption and production.

SPAMI Day (15 avril), une journée officielle consacrée à la protection de la biodiversité marine et côtière en Méditerranée, est née.  Athènes/Tunis, 14 avril 2022— Chaque année, le 15 avril, la région méditerranéenne célébrera une nouvelle journée officielle consacrée aux Aires spécialement protégées d'importance Méditerranéenne (ASPIM, SPAMI en anglais).

Athens, 12 April 2022—The Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) and the Circle of Mediterranean Parliamentarians for Sustainable Development (COMPSUD) announced a Memorandum of Understanding aiming to foster bilateral cooperation for healthy marine and coastal ecosystems that underpin sustainable development in the Mediterranean region. Tatjana Hema, the UNEP/MAP Coordinator, and Moh Rejdali, the COMPSUD Chairperson, signed the MoU at a ceremony held on 12 April 2022 in Zappeion Megaron in Athens, Greece.

La Coordonnatrice du PNUE/PAM, Tatjana Hema, réfléchit à " L'égalité des sexes aujourd'hui pour un avenir durable", le thème de l'édition 2022 de la Journée internationale des femmes.

Several participants in the "Mediterranean 2030" workshop—which took place on 9 February 2022 in Brest, in the context of the One Ocean Summit—paid tribute to the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system’s role in facilitating multilateral action for healthy marine and coastal ecosystems and sustainable development in the Mediterranean region.

The Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) has released the “Young Person’s Guide to the Mediterranean Action Plan and the Barcelona Convention” aimed at ocean literacy practitioners, educators and young readers aged 11-17.

Athènes, 14 Décembre 2021— La 22e réunion (COP 22) des Parties contractantes à la Convention pour la protection du milieu marin et du littoral de la Méditerranée (Convention de Barcelone) et de ses protocoles, s’est tenue à Antalya en Turquie, du 7 au 10 décembre 2021.

Antalya, 10 Décembre 2021— Les Parties contractantes à la Convention pour la protection du milieu marin et du littoral de la Méditerranée (Convention de Barcelone) et à ses Protocoles ont conclu aujourd'hui leur 22ème réunion (COP 22, Antalya, Turquie, 7-10 décembre 2021), avec un ensemble de décisions orientées vers l'action pour protéger l'environnement méditerranéen et soutenir le développement durable.