20th Meeting of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) 14-16 June 2023, Marseille, France
- Mediterranean countries, institutions, representatives of the private sector and academia, and civil society organizations come together for a new push for sustainable development in the Mediterranean region
- Unlocking the potential of the blue economy sustainably holds the key to the implementation of the Mediterranean Strategy on Sustainable Development adopted within the framework of the UNEP/Mediterranean Action Plan—Barcelona Convention system
What’s the MCSD?
The Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) will hold its 20th meeting on 14-16 June 2023. The meeting is convened by the Coordinating Unit for the Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP), which is based in Athens, Greece. The meeting is hosted by France.
Established in 1995, by virtue of Article 4 of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) adopted in 1976 under the auspices of UNEP/MAP and amended in 1995, the MCSD is an advisory body to the Contracting Parties (21 coastal countries and the European Union) to assist them in their efforts to integrate environmental issues in their socioeconomic programmes and to promote sustainable development policies in the Mediterranean region.
Acting as a forum for experience sharing and peer learning, the Commission is unique in its composition and includes not only government representatives but also local authorities, socio-economic actors, non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, the scientific community and parliamentarians. All MCSD members participate in its meetings on an equal footing.
What will the meeting in Marseille address?
During the three days of deliberations participants will examine the region’s progress towards sustainable development. The agenda includes:
- A review of flagship initiatives implemented by a variety of institutions, including civil society organizations, to contribute to the implementation of the Mediterranean Strategy on Sustainable Development (MSSD);
- Six scenarios for the Mediterranean, considering past and current trends, and pathways for a transition to a greener, more resilient region (based on the MED 2050 Foresight Study carried out by Plan Bleu, the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre specialising in sustainable development);
- Opportunities and best practices for tapping the full potential of a sustainable blue economy in the Mediterranean, including in the crucial sectors of tourism and maritime transport;
- Translating global progress on biodiversity (The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Treaty addressing marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction);
- The Mediterranean contribution to the ongoing negotiations for a global instrument addressing plastic pollution;
- Youth action to advance the Mediterranean Strategy on Sustainable Development.
Who will attend this meeting?
H.E. Hervé Berville, French State Secretary for the Sea, will deliver a welcome address.
Mitja Bricelj (Secretary, Ministry for Environment and Spatial Planning of Slovenia), President of the MCSD, will open the meeting.
Tatjana Hema, the Coordinator of the UNEP/MAP – Barcelona Convention Secretariat, will also make opening remarks, addressing the 40 members of the MCSD: representatives of 22 Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, and of Intergovernmental Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, and representatives of the private sector and the science community. Participants will also include accredited Observers.
H.E. Karim Amellal, the Ambassador delegate for the Mediterranean Sea of France, will open Panel discussions on the “Way forward for a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Mediterranean”. Panellists will include Almotaz Abadi, Union for the Mediterranean Deputy Secretary General for Water, Environment and Blue Economy; Lucien Chabason, Senior international expert and former Coordinator of UNEP/MAP; Michael Scoullos, Chairman of GWP-Med; Eric Banel, Director-General, Directorate general for Maritime affairs, Fisheries and Aquaculture (France); Atef Arfa, Manager in charge of Energy at the Office of the Merchant Marine and Ports (Tunisia); and Ahmed Mohamed Yassin, co-founder of Banlastic, a social enterprise (Egypt).
The panel discussions will be moderated by Ms. Sophie-Dorothée DURON, Head of the Maritime and Coastal Areas Department, Secretariat of State for the Sea of France.
