The Marine Litter MED PLUS Project
2024-2027
Objective
Building on Marine Litter MED projects executed since 2016, the Marine Litter MED PLUS project will further support the implementation of the updated Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean at national, sub-regional and regional level with a particular focus on Southern Mediterranean Contracting Parties namely Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. The overall objective of the Marine Litter MED PLUS project is to reduce and prevent the generation of marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea through an expanded implementation of key reduction and prevention measures as provided for in the updated Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean. The project aims at enhancing the implementation of the selected measures in terms of geographical scope and impact. The project will also support the upgrade of Ecological Objective 10 (EO10 – Marine Litter) of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP) for the Mediterranean Sea and Coast, including for its Candidate Common Indicator 24. Interregional Cooperation will be further enhanced in particular through tangible interventions in the Black Sea, in cooperation with the Black Sea Commission Permanent Secretariat(BSC), as well as in the Mediterranean with General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).
Partners
The Marine Litter MED PLUS project activities will be implemented by the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention Secretariat and MAP Components (i.e. MED POL, SCP/RAC, SPA/RAC and REMPEC) in line with their respective mandates and areas of expertise.
Alignment with Mid-Term Strategy
The Marine Litter MED PLUS project provides an important contribution to the implementation of UNEP/MAP Mid-Term Strategy for 2022-2027 and Programme of Work for 2024-2025.
Funding
The Marine Litter MED PLUS Project is expected to be implemented over a period of 36 months, from March 2024 to February 2027, with an EC contribution of USD 1,2000,000 supplemented by UNEP/MAP co-financing from the MTF of USD 156,000.
Expected results
Building on the outcomes, the project is executed to achieve results in three main areas:
- Support the Southern Mediterranean Contracting Parties in implementing and developing/updating National Action Plans (NAPs), addressing marine litter in the context of the updated Regional Plan on Marine Litter and the ongoing negotiation for the Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution, and further expand the implementation of key reduction and prevention measures.
- Further advance the implementation of monitoring and assessment for IMAP EO10 on Marine Litter, including the operation of selected IMAP-based monitoring programmes for beach marine litter and floating microplastics, as well as the substantive upgrade and enrichment of IMAP EO10 indicators.
- Enhance interregional/regional cooperation, partnerships and synergies on marine litter, mainly through expanding the role of the Regional Cooperation Platform on Marine Litter, as well as the cooperation with the BSC and with GFCM.
