22nd Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols

​The 22^nd Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols (COP 22) took place on 7-10 December 2021 in Antalya, Turkey.

The meetings of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its protocols, held every two years, constitute the principal gathering on environment and sustainable development in the region.

Branded the “COP for the Mediterranean, COP 22 marked 45 years of seamless environmental multilateralism and regional solidarity under the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system.

COP 22 offered an inclusive platform for renewed commitment in the Mediterranean and sent a clear signal that UNEP/MAP is ready to act effectively and in a timely manner to support the region in building back greener with strong environmental objectives.

The meeting was opened on 7 December 2021 by Carlo Zaghi (Italy), the outgoing President of the Bureau of the Contracting Parties, speaking via video link. Opening statements were also delivered by Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Turkey; Kerstin Stendahl, Head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Ecosystems Integration Branch, speaking on behalf of Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP; and Tatjana Hema, UNEP/Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)-Barcelona Convention Coordinator.

Click here for the COP 22 outcome documents

The Antalya Declaration

Adopted on 9 December, the Antalya Declaration constitutes a strong expression of political support to the collective endeavor within the framework of the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system to achieve a healthy Mediterranean Sea and coast in the context of sustainable development.

Medium-Term Strategy (MTS - 2022-2027)

The Contracting Parties gave the green light to the Medium-Term Strategy (MTS - 2022-2027) of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP). The MTS will aim to achieve transformational change and contribute to bend current trajectories.

The Mediterranean basin is reeling under the combined impacts of pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change. According to recent assessment studies on environment and development endorsed by the Contracting Parties, including the First Mediterranean Assessment Report (MAR 1) by the network of Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC), the basin is on a collision course with nature.

The effective implementation of the MTS will situate the region on a path of sustainability, thus pushing for a green recovery in the Mediterranean.

Action-oriented decisions

The Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols adopted a package of action-oriented decisions to protect the Mediterranean marine and coastal environment and bolster sustainable development.

Towards an Emission Control Area for Sulphur Oxides

COP 22 adopted a groundbreaking decision on the Designation of the Mediterranean Sea, as a whole, as an Emission Control Area for Sulphur Oxides (MED SOx ECA) pursuant to MARPOL Annex VI. The measure is expected to generate significant benefits for human health and for the integrity of ecosystems, which both suffer from harmful SOx emissions from the maritime transport sector, one of the pillars of the blue economy in the Mediterranean.  

Biodiversity protection and conservation

On biodiversity, COP 22 adopted the Post-2020 Strategic Action Programme for the Conservation of Biodiversity and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in the Mediterranean Region (Post-2020 SAPBIO), which is aligned with the building blocks of the Global Biodiversity Framework to be finalized next year under the UNCBD. This achievement was complemented with agreement on a Post-2020 Regional Strategy for protecting and conserving the Mediterranean through well connected and effective systems of marine and coastal protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and with Action Plans for the conservation of species and habitats under the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean.

Land- and sea-based pollution

• Amendments to the Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean in the Framework of Article 15 of the Land Based Sources Protocol;
• Amendments to Annexes I, II and IV to the Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities (LBS Protocol);
• Regional Plans on Urban Wastewater Treatment and Sewage Sludge Management in the Framework of Article 15 of the Land Based Sources Protocol;
• The Mediterranean Strategy for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Marine Pollution from Ships (2022-2031);
• The Ballast Water Management Strategy for the Mediterranean Sea (2022-2027);
• Amendments to the Annex to the Protocol for the Prevention and Elimination of Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea by Dumping from Ships and Aircraft or Incineration at Sea (Dumping Protocol);
• Amendments to the Annexes to the Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution Resulting from Exploration and Exploitation of the Continental Shelf and the Seabed and its Subsoil (Offshore Protocol).

Circular economy and green business

• A set of Regional Measures to Support the Development of Green and Circular Businesses and to Strengthen the Demand for more Sustainable Products.

Highlights from the Ministerial session

The COP 22 Ministerial session took place on 9 December 2021 under the theme: “Towards a Blue Mediterranean: Leaving a Pollution-Free Legacy, Protecting Biodiversity and Sustaining Climate Stability”.

Opening

Speaking at the opening of the Ministerial Session on 9 December, Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, underscored the need for broader cooperation to address the serious challenges that the Mediterranean faces.

Joyce Msuya, UNEP Deputy Executive Director, stated that “never before has the Mediterranean needed its human stewards as much as it does today". She commended the commitment of the Contracting Parties, noting that she heard "encouraging messages consistent with our calls to make peace with nature as part of a green recovery in the Mediterranean and beyond".

Youth representatives Faik Yetgin, Turkey, Aina Pujol, Spain, and Asma Tarek, Egypt, delivered the outcome of the pre-COP 22 youth event that the COP 22 Host Country organized on 16-17 November 2021 in Istanbul, emphasizing the important role young people can play in supporting and promoting efforts to achieve sustainability in the Mediterranean region.

Progress report

Tatjana Hema, the UNEP/MAP Coordinator, presented highlights from the 2020-2021 Programme and Work executed by UNEP/MAP, pointing to progress in important areas, including strengthened partnerships and resource-mobilization. The presentation highlighted progress in knowledge acquisition on the state of the marine and coastal environment and in the delivery of a UNEP/MAP-led multi-pronged effort to tackle pollution and biodiversity decline while bolstering climate resilience.

Messages to COP 22

Video messages to COP 22 from Peter Thomson, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, and Elizabeth Mrema, Executive Secretary of the CBD, were screened.

Mr. Thomson spoke of the outcomes of the COP 26 Climate Change Conference, the importance of recognizing the role of the ocean in addressing the climate crisis and the significance of progress under the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system for that endeavor.

Ms. Mrema spoke of recent developments under the CBD and the importance of the forthcoming Global Biodiversity Framework. She underscored the importance of reflecting global progress at the regional level under the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system.

Presentation on the 6th Assessment Report

A pre-recorded presentation by Erika Coppola of the IPCC provided highlights from AR6 (Working Group I: the physical science basis), including impacts, possible climate futures and climate information for risk and adaptation.  The presentation of Ms. Coppola also provided preliminary highlights from the IPCC Working Group II 2022 report focusing on the Mediterranean Cross-Chapter paper entitled: “Climate change in the Mediterranean basin, vulnerability aspects, projected risk, adaptation and sustainable development”.   

Panel discussion

The panel discussion provided insights on aspects pertaining to the theme of the ministerial session, including life experiences, solutions and proposals that decision-makers in the Mediterranean region can consider or seek to upscale in response to the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Elham Ali, Professor of Oceanography at the University of Suez (Egypt)
and Lead Author of the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, shared her views on priorities for a low-emission and climate-resilient economic recovery in the Mediterranean region.

Yakup Kaska, Professor at Pamukkale University, Turkey, spoke of his work for the protection of marine turtles and the results that efforts on ecosystem restoration and coastal protection have yielded.

Dania Abdul Malak, Senior Environmental Researcher and Director of the European Topic Centre at the University of Malaga (ETC-UMA), shared insights on Nature-based solutions in the face of the triple environmental crisis, and how these solutions can be reconciled in a sustainable manner with the need to unlock the potential of the blue economy.

Sahika Ercumen, Life Below Water Advocate of UNDP in Turkey, spoke of her experiences as a free diver and her unique experiences with the marine environment. She stressed the need to act on tackling the scourge of marine litter.

Lefteris Arapakis, UNEP Young Champion of the Earth (2020) and Ambassador for the Mediterranean Coast (2021), underscored the importance of involving youth in the thinking and decision-making processes on matters pertaining to environment and sustainability. Mr. Arapakis highlighted his own experience as a young social entrepreneur working with an expanding community of fishers to curb marine litter, notably through the retrieval and recycling of plastic items.

Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award ceremony

The Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award, recognizing efforts of local authorities in promoting sustainable development in Mediterranean coastal cities, was presented to the winner, Malaga.

The First Lady of the Republic of Turkey, Emine Erdoğan, who attended the ceremony, presented the Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award to Ms. Gemma del Corral Parra, Deputy Mayor of Málaga.

Learn more

• Coverage of COP 22 by the IISD/ Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB), including daily updates, photos, videos and a summary report. Coverage by IISD/ENB was supported by Monaco.
• Press release: COP 22 adopts bold measures for the protection of the environment that can catalyze a green recovery in the Mediterranean
• Press release: COP 22 secures consensus on curbing emissions of Sulphur Oxides from ships in the Mediterranean
• Press release: Málaga wins the third edition of the Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award
• Meeting of the MAP Focal Points: a key milestone on the road to COP22
• COP 22 logo and hashtag unveiled during a preparatory meeting in Antalya
• COP22 Host Country website
• Follow @UNEPMAPNews and #COP22Med on Twitter
• COP 22 outcome documents

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