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Following the successful 2016 edition hosted by the USA, the 2017 Our Ocean Conference, hosted by the EU, took place in Malta on 5 and 6 October 2017 and was attended by a large number of eminent persons, senior government representatives, civil society and the private sector. The Our Ocean Conference aims to mobilize joint solutions and to secure ambitious commitments towards the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans.

For this Mediterranean Cost Day, numerous experts are gathering on 25 September in Split the Croatian city hosting PAP/RAC, “the Mediterranean Coastal Management Centre”, to discuss past successes and shortcomings of Mediterranean coastal management, as well as new environmental challenges that require a more ambitious and urgent action. The Mediterranean Sea, an important source of employment and economic growth

1.350 km long marine corridor, located off the Spanish Mediterranean coast, has been declared ‘Marine Protected Area’ by the Government of Spain in June 2018. The measure will benefit around 3,500 fin whales migrating through this strip of water, and more than 19,000 loggerhead turtles and 6,000 stripped dolphins. The cetacean corridor 

18.07.2018

Supreme is a two-year project (January 2017–December 2018), co-funded by the EC – DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), focusing on two key objectives: To support the implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning (Directive 2014/89/EU) in the EU Member States of the Eastern Mediterranean. To launch and carry out concrete and cross-border MSP initiatives between these States. The project involves partners from four Mediterranean countries, namely Croatia, Greece, Italy, and Slovenia, as well as UN Environment/MAP.

On the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the Plan Bleu Regional Activity Center of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) held an international conference on environment and development in the Mediterranean in Paris, on 5 June 2018, also coinciding with World Environment Day. The event, entitled “Environment and development in the Mediterranean, yesterday, today and tomorrow” was attended by French authorities, representatives of Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, partner and civil society organizations, as well as representatives of the MAP system.

Both courses will be delivered through massive open online course (MOOC) access. The MOOC: sobre Basura Marina, developed in partnership with the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML) is being offered in Spanish for the first time.  The course is a follow-on to the previously offered English language version. The course commences on 29 January 2018. For more information please go to www.marinelittermooc.org.

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the areas most affected by marine litter in the world with plastic comprising up to 95% of waste accumulated on shorelines, the ocean surface, or sea floor. Approximately 0.5 billion litter items are currently lying on the Mediterranean Seafloor while concentrations floating plastic are comparable with those in the five oceanic garbage patches reaching over 600 items per square kilometer.

10.05.2018 Cyprus, Greece, and Israel have signed the Implementation Agreement on the Sub-Regional Marine Oil Pollution Contingency Plan. The objective of the Plan is an effective reaction to spills and to facilitate the co-operation among the three countries in the field of oil pollution preparedness and response. The Plan was signed on Tuesday, 8 May along with other instruments for the cooperation among the three countries.

The second meeting on the development of indicators to report on the progress of the implementation of Horizon 2020 Initiative for a Cleaner Mediterranean (2015-2020) and National Action Plans to address Pollution from land-based Activities was held in Athens on 17-18 April 2018. The Meeting was organized by UN Environment/Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), Plan Bleu and MED POL Programme, in collaboration with and the European Environment Agency (EEA), under ENI SEIS II Project funded in the framework of the second phase of the H2020 initiative and 2018-2019 MAP PoW..

The UN Environment/Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) organized the Second Meeting of the Joint Sub-regional expert group on the Pilot Study for the Eastern Mediterranean for non-indigenous species, in Chania, Greece on 4 March.

The UN Environment/Mediterranean Action Plan and European Environmental Agency (EEA) held a joint seminar on regional assessments in Copenhagen, on 26-28 February 2018. This seminar was organized with the support of the EU ENI SEISII South Project and featured participants from both organization, including Gaetano Leone, Coordinator of UN Environment/MAP and Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director of EEA.

The capacity building workshop to support national implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP) was held in Rabat, Morocco (19-21 February 2018) under the auspices of the Secretary of State to the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development of Morocco and the support of the EU-funded EcAp MED II project. The two-day workshop attracted a high level of participation, including officials and representatives of the Secretary of State, public sector, research and academia, civil society and Non-Governmental Organizations.

19.02.2018 The Secretariat of the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols invites Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) to apply for accreditation as Partners of UN Environment / Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP Partners).

Sandra realizes she has been in a toxic relationship for too long and decides it's time for a break-up. What's more, she has found a new love. This short UN Environment #CleanSeas video takes a lighter look at the issue of marine litter and asks everyone around the world to break-up with single-use plastics and make their pledge at cleanseas.org.  

Land-based sources of pollution have a major impact on planetary health and on the oceans. Growing populations, increasingly intensive and large-scale agriculture and booming urbanization often result in more wastewater discharged into rivers, lakes and oceans and nutrient runoff to waterways.

As part of the #CleanSeas campaign, UN Environment’s Global Partnership on Marine Litter is launching a massive open online course on marine plastic pollution in Spanish. The MOOC provides two different opportunities for interactive learning: a two-week leadership track offering an inspiring overview of the issue; and an eight-week expert track for more in-depth information on microplastics, sea-based sources and governance for example. The course begins on 29 January 2018

On the fourth and final day of their meeting held in Tirana, Albania, the Contracting Parties adopted the proceedings of the meeting, including 14 thematic decisions. These strategic documents will guide the work to be carried out in the framework of the Mediterranean Action Plan in the 2018-2019 biennium and beyond. The final report of the meeting will be published by the Coordinating Unit for the Mediterranean Action Plan and will be available for downloading in the MAP meeting documents repository.

UN Environment's Regional Seas Programme, launched in 1974, support 143 countries to protect their marine resources and the millions of people who depend on them. One objective of the Programme is to work for global environmental responsibility in regards to sea-based pollution. Highlights from the Regional Seas Programme This video is one out of five portraying the work of UN Environment's Regional Seas Programme.

The 2017 Mediterranean Quality Status Report was launched at the 20th Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, held in Tirana, Albania, on 17-20 December 2017. On that occasion, the Contracting Parties, i.e. 21 riparian countries of the Mediterranean and the EU, endorsed the key findings of the Report and welcomed its recommendations.

We, Ministers and Heads of Delegations of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (the Barcelona Convention) and its Protocols, meeting in Tirana, Albania, on 19 December 2017, Recalling the importance of the regional dimension for the implementation of global strategies and agendas,

The “Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award” was conferred to Izmir (Turkey) during the high-level session of the 20th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention which is being held in Tirana, Albania (17-20 December 2017). Mr. Gaetano Leone, Coordinator of the Mediterranean Action Plan, introduced the “Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award” and the procedure followed for the nomination and selection of the winner, including through public voting.

Representatives of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention their 20th Ordinary meeting in Tirana, Albania, discussed “Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with focus on Sustainable Development Goal 14: Pollution and Biodiversity” during the high-level session which opened today.

Representatives of the Contracting Parties continued their deliberations on several thematic decision during the second day of their biennial meeting that is being held in Tirana, Albania from 17 to 20 December. At the end of the second day’s session, the following decisions have been cleared by the meeting for adoption:

The Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols opened their twentieth ordinary meeting (COP 20) on 17 December 2017, during which they will discuss the progress achieved in the implementation of the programme of work for the 2016-2017 biennium and make policy decisions on activities to enhance environmental protection and sustainable development in the Mediterranean.