Projects

The Mediterranean Sea Programme: Enhancing Environmental Security (MedProgramme)
2020-2024

The MedProgramme is a 43 million USD assortment of eight child projects funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) with more than 100 coordinated actions at regional and national levels in the 2020-2024 period.

The MedProgramme child projects:

• MedProgramme Child Project 1.1 (GEF ID 9684): Reducing Pollution from Harmful Chemicals and Wastes in Mediterranean Hotspots and Measuring Progress to Impacts.
• MedProgramme Child Project 1.2 (GEF ID 9717): Mediterranean Pollution Hot Spots Investment Project.
• MedProgramme Child Project 1.3 (GEF ID 9691): Financing Advanced Environmental Technologies in the Mediterranean Sea Region for Water Systems and Clean Coasts (ENVITECC)
• MedProgramme Child Project 2.1 (GEF ID 9687): Mediterranean Coastal Zones: Water Security, Climate Resilience and Habitat Protection.
• MedProgramme Child Project 2.2 (GEF ID 9685): Mediterranean Coastal Zones: Managing the Water-Energy-Food and Ecosystems Nexus.
• MedProgramme SCCF Project (GEF ID 9670): Enhancing regional climate change adaptation in the Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Areas.
• MedProgramme Child Project 3.1 (GEF ID 10158): Management Support and Expansion of Marine Protected Areas in Libya.
• MedProgramme Child Project 4.1 (GEF ID 9686): Mediterranean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Environment and Climate Regional Support Project.

The MedProgramme is also supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The two International Financial Institutions will provide a co-financing of USD 700 million in the form of loans granted to the countries and to public and private actors to foster market creation and transformation, and to ensure sustainability through the private sector and municipal involvement.

The (10) beneficiary countries are Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Morocco, Montenegro, Tunisia and Türkiye.

UNEP/MAP is the executing agency of the MedProgramme. Partners in execution include UNESCO/IHP, EIB, IUCN Med, GWP Med, WWF Mediterranean and the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centres Plan Bleu/RAC, PAP/RAC, SCP/RAC and SPA/RAC.

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Bolstering Mediterranean biodiversity and Marine and Coastal Protected Areas for nature (SEMPA Project)
2023-2027

The SEMPA Project, funded by the European Union, contributes to the achievement of Good Environmental Status (GES) in the Mediterranean Sea and Coast in seven (7) countries that are contracting parties to the Barcelona Convention, namely Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.

The project is endowed with a budget of 4 million Euros for a duration 48 months and is executed by the UNEP/MAP Coordinating Unit, and the Specially Protected Areas Regional Activity Centre (SPA/RAC).

SEMPA is part of the UNEP/MAP portfolio of EU-funded projects, which also includes the follow-up phases of the EcAp MED III and Marine Litter MED II projects. The trio will operate until mid-2027 with complementary objectives and activities, further boosting the implementation of GES based on the findings of the 2023 Mediterranean Quality Status Report.

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Towards achieving the Good Environmental Status of the Mediterranean Sea and coast through an ecologically representative and efficiently managed and monitored network of Marine Protected Areas (IMAP-MPA)
2019-2023

The IMAP-MPA project, funded by the European Union, contributes to the achievement of Good Environmental Status (GES) in the Mediterranean Sea and Coast in seven (7) beneficiary countries, namely Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.

The project is endowed with a budget of 4 million euros for a duration 48 months and is executed by the UNEP/MAP Coordinating Unit, the UNEP/MAP Programme for the Assessment and Control of Marine Pollution in the Mediterranean (MED POL) and SPA/RAC.

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Support to Efficient Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach-based Integrated Monitoring and Assessment of the Mediterranean Sea and Coasts and to delivery of data-based 2023 Quality Status Report in synergy with the EU MSFD (EcAp MED III)
2020-2023

The EcAp MED III project is funded by the European Union (EU). Its overall aim is to further assist the Southern Mediterranean Contracting Parties to implement the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP), adopted in 2016, as part of the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach Roadmap and contribute to the delivery of the 2023 Quality Status Report of the Mediterranean (MED QSR). It builds on the successful implementation of the previous projects EcAp MED I (2012-2015) and EcAp MED II (2015-2019).

With an overall budget of USD 2,494,790 including an EU allocation of USD 2,200,000 and the co-financing from the Mediterranean Trust Fund (MTF) of USD 294,790, the national component of the EcAp MED III are implemented in seven beneficiary countries: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia.

The EcAp MED III project activities are coordinated by the UNEP/MAP Coordinating Unit and co-executed by MAP Components (INFO/RAC, MED POL, PAP/RAC, SPA/RAC and Plan Bleu), in line with their respective mandates and areas of expertise. The delivery of EcAp MED III project activities is done in synergy with the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).

Objectives

The EcAp MED III project aims to achieve three main objectives:

• boost the effective implementation of the IMAP in the Mediterranean;
• contribute to the elaboration and implementation of appropriate scales of assessment and common integrated assessment methodologies harmonized at regional and sub regional levels, for the Mediterranean Sea and Coast;
• contribute to the delivery of a data-based 2023 MED Quality Status Report.

The project expands the current IMAP Info System to cover all IMAP Common Indicators. The EcAp MED III project contributes to the strengthening of the Science-Policy Interface (SPI) at national and regional levels for IMAP implementation and delivery of 2023 MED QSR.

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The Marine Litter MED II Project
2020-2023

The Marine Litter MED II project, funded by the European Commission, DG Environment (EC-DG ENV) , further supports the implementation of the updated Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean approved by COP 22 (Antalya, Türkiye, 7-10 December 2021) at national, sub-regional and regional level with a particular focus on southern Mediterranean countries namely Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. The project builds on the outcomes of the EU-funded Marine Litter MED project (2016-2019).

Marine Litter MED II is endowed with a budget of 1,28 million USD, including Mediterranean Trust Fund (MTF) in-kind contribution. It is executed for a duration of 36 months by the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention Secretariat and MAP Components, namely MED POL, SCP/RAC, SPA/RAC and REMPEC, in line with their respective mandates and areas of expertise.

The project contributed to the implementation of the UNEP/MAP 2016-2021 Mid-Term Strategy (MTS) and the 2020-2021 Programme of Work, and is now providing an important contribution to UNEP/MAP Mid-Term Strategy (MTS) 2022-2027 and 2022-2023 Programme of Work, and of several COP Decisions related to the implementation of the Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean, the region-wide Marine Litter Guidelines, the Ecosystem Approach and Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP), with a focus on supporting enhanced marine litter management in the region and a litter-free Mediterranean.

The delivery of project activities are conducted in accordance with EU MSFD and EU Single-Use Plastics Directives.

Marine Litter MED II project contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14): Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development and several SDG indicators.

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