The MedProgramme (2020-2026)

The Mediterranean Sea Programme: Enhancing Environmental Security (MedProgramme)
2020-2026

The Mediterranean Sea Programme (MedProgramme): “Enhancing Environmental Security” is a six (6) year (2020–2026) Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded multi-focal area and cross-sectoral initiative implemented in Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, Tunisia, and Türkiye. UNEP/Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) is the leading executing Agency; the GEF Implementing Agencies are UNEP and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the executing partners are UNESCO/IHP, European Investment Bank (EIB), IUCN Med, GWP Med, WWF Med, University of Geneva-GRID Geneva, Plan Bleu, PAP/RAC, SCP/RAC, SPA/RAC and INFO/RAC. The Programme is also supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The MedProgramme operationalizes priority actions to reduce major transboundary environmental stresses in coastal areas while strengthening climate resilience and water security and improving the health and livelihoods of coastal populations. It also aims to promote sound environmental management that benefits women and men equally, through effective gender mainstreaming.

The MedProgramme is expected to achieve large-scale impacts in four GEF focal areas: International Waters (IW), Chemicals and Waste (CW), Biodiversity (BD), and Climate Change Adaptation (SCCF), with contributions from numerous partners including UN agencies, development banks, MAP Regional Activity Centers, Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Regional Centers, national institutions, technical agencies and research institutes, NGOs, and others, under the leadership of UNEP/MAP.

Threats in the Mediterranean region

The current environmental status of the Mediterranean Sea shows signs of progressive deterioration as a result of a range of human activities. Densely and increasingly populated coastal regions in combination with tourism activities generate high pressure on the quality and security of critical resources’ supply such as water, food, and energy in addition to increasing pollution. This has a great impact on vulnerable coastal and marine ecosystems and habitats, including loss and degradation of coastal and shallow marine ecosystems and scarcity of coastal freshwater resources. This negative impact is multiplied by climate variability and change, mostly felt by the most vulnerable and poor populations. The MedProgramme is a response to addressing these threats.

Implementation of MedProgramme

The implementation of the MedProgramme involves a wide spectrum of partners among which banking institutions, the private sector, governmental and non-governmental bodies, industry, research, and various other organizations. The programme builds on earlier initiatives such as the MedPartnership, ClimVar and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) GEF projects, which have enriched the knowledge and understanding of the Mediterranean environment.

The eight (8) Child Projects of the MedProgramme are expected to deliver a set of complementary results encompassing three categories of priorities identified by the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) for the Mediterranean Sea, leading to four (4) components.

Reduction of Land-Based Pollution in Priority Coastal Hotspots and measuring progress to impacts.
Enhancing Sustainability and Climate Resilience in the Coastal Zone.
Protecting Marine Biodiversity.
Knowledge Management, Gender and Programme Coordination.

Child Projects and executing partners of the MedProgramme.

MedProgramme Child Project 1.1 (GEF ID 9684): Reducing Pollution from Harmful Chemicals and Wastes in Mediterranean Hotspots and Measuring Progress to Impacts.

Executing Partners:

MedProgramme Child Project 1.2 (GEF ID 9717): Mediterranean Pollution Hot Spots Investment Project.

Executing Partners:

MedProgramme Child Project 1.3 (GEF ID 9691): Financing Advanced Environmental Technologies in the Mediterranean Sea Region for Water Systems and Clean Coasts (ENVITECC)

Implementing Agency:

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

MedProgramme Child Project 2.1 (GEF ID 9687): Mediterranean Coastal Zones: Water Security, Climate Resilience and Habitat Protection.

Executing Partners:

MedProgramme Child Project 2.2 (GEF ID 9685): Mediterranean Coastal Zones: Managing the Water-Energy-Food and Ecosystems Nexus.

Executing Partners:

GWP-Med

MedProgramme SCCF Project (GEF ID 9670): Enhancing regional climate change adaptation in the Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Areas.

Executing Partners:

MedProgramme Child Project 3.1 (GEF ID 10158): Management Support and Expansion of Marine Protected Areas in Libya.

Executing Partners:

MedProgramme Child Project 4.1 (GEF ID 9686): Mediterranean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Environment and Climate Regional Support Project.

Executing Partners:

Expected results

Expected results include, but are not limited to:

The disposal of 2000 tons of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and of fifty (50) tons of Mercury, an increase in volumes of water treatments, and improvements in coastal and water management.
The development of an updated Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA), including gender assessment.
The development of an Offshore monitoring strategy and identification of 20 locations for the offshore monitoring stations.
Investment to upgrading Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and reusing of treated wastewater, and/or depollution of catchment area in Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia.
Development of common environmental standards on desalination, aquaculture, and wastewater and sludge management.
Enhancement of Coastal Zone Sustainability in beneficiary countries through the expanded compliance with the ICZM Protocol and the adoption of national ICZM strategies, coastal plans and instruments, and improved gender equality.
Increase resilience to climatic variability and change and enhance water security of coastal populations through improved sustainability of services provided by coastal aquifers and by groundwater related coastal habitats.
Fostering water-food – energy security and the reduction of land based nutrient pollution and other pressures, through the adoption of the water-food- energy ecosystems Nexus approach.
The expansion of seascapes under protection and improving protected marine area management in Libya.
Innovative and cross-cutting knowledge management and gender mainstreaming strategies that will provide a pilot for further integration into the operations of the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system.

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