What we do | UNEPMAP

The work of the MAP—Barcelona Convention system is guided by a six-year Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) and implemented through two-year Programmes of Work and budgets adopted by the meetings of the Contracting Parties.

The UNEP/MAP Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) for 2022-2027 was adopted by the 22nd Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols (COP 22, 7-10 December 2021, Antalya, Turkey).

The strategy is aligned with the Rio+20 Outcome Document and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets as part of the delivery of the UNEP/MAP mandate.

Underpinning the UNEP/MAP’s role as an integrator of global processes at the regional level, the strategy encompasses contributions to the implementation of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement, the UN Decade of Action for the SDGs, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

The MTS 2022-2027 vision

“Progress towards a healthy, clean, sustainable and climate resilient Mediterranean Sea and Coast with productive and biologically diverse marine and coastal ecosystems, where the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and its SDGs are achieved through the effective implementation of the Barcelona Convention, its Protocols and the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development for the benefit of people and nature.”

Objectives:

To drive transformational change and enhance the impact of the MAP-Barcelona Convention system and its contribution to the Mediterranean region;
To ensure that the Good Environmental Status (GES) of the Mediterranean Sea and coast, the relevant SDGs and their targets, and the post-2020 global biodiversity goals (and associated targets) are achieved through concrete actions to effectively manage and reduce threats and enhance marine and coastal resources;
To contribute to strengthening Mediterranean solidarity and peoples’ prosperity;
To contribute to the Building Back Better approach of the UN framework for the immediate socio-economic response to COVID-19 towards a green recovery of the Mediterranean by supporting new and sustainable business models, enabling a just and green transition to nature-based solutions and a circular economy.

Structure

The MTS 2022-2027 structure reflects:

Legal commitments of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and their Decisions and needs expressed at the regional and national levels;
The Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD);
The UNEP Strategy for 2022-2025.

The MTS 2022-2027 comprises:

Four thematic programmes:

A foundational Programme on "Governance"

Two enabling Programmes:

Learn more

Implementation

The implementation of the MTS is envisaged to be a collective process, under which the MTS is used as a common platform for joint actions not only by the Contracting Parties and the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention Secretariat, but also by other international and regional organizations and actors in the Mediterranean region, including MAP Partners and Members of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) and Civil Society Organizations at large.

The MTS implementation is structured in a way to be measurable, with a view to supporting efficient performance assessment and management and to providing assurance to Contracting Parties and donors that their efforts and resources are contributing to substantial impact. For this purpose, UNEP/MAP uses a performance framework approved by the Contracting Parties, which includes specific strategic outcomes and performance indicators and targets.

Programme of Work and Budget

The MTS outcomes are delivered through the implementation of three successive biennial Programmes of Work adopted by the Meetings of the Contracting Parties. The MAP Programmes of Work and Budgets are designed to support the Contracting Parties in their efforts to fully implement the Barcelona Convention, its Protocols, MAP strategies, as well as the Decisions and recommendations adopted by the Meetings of the Contracting Parties.

The Programme of Work is executed by the UNEP/MAP Coordinating Unit and Components, namely MED POL and the Regional Activity Centres, with the full involvement of the Contracting Parties and in collaboration with competent global and regional organizations and MAP partners. The implementation of the Programme of Work is financed by assessed contributions of the Contracting Parties in the Mediterranean Trust Fund (MTF), additional voluntary resources provided by the Contracting Parties, as well as externally funded projects.

The UNEP/MAP approach to gender

In the Antalya Ministerial Declaration, adopted at COP 22 of the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols (Türkiye, 7-10 December 2021), the Contracting Parties made a solemn commitment to “increase our efforts towards full, equal and meaningful participation in the MAP - Barcelona Convention system decision-making of women, youth, and disadvantaged communities, recognising their critical role as agents of change”.

UNEP/MAP, in line with UNEP policy and strategy for gender equality, promotes men and women’s equal participation in the delivery of its mandate and the implementation of the UNEP/MAP Medium-Term Strategy (MTS 2022-2027) and its Programme of Work (PoW).

The UNEP/MAP PoW encompasses several activities addressing gender related aspects with the aim of advancing the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 in the Mediterranean. These activities include the on-going development of action plans for gender mainstreaming in wastewater management, conducting gender-sensitive climate risk assessments for coastal planning, and the strengthening of women’s participation in the development and management of marine and coastal protected areas.

A Gender Strategy for the MAP system is currently under development with a view to harmonizing approaches to gender across the MAP system, considering relevant action plans in place at the Regional Activity Centres and MED POL.

Further reading about our approach to Gender: