The Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) is a regional cooperation platform established in 1975 as the first regional action plan under the UNEP Regional Seas Programme.
The Regional Seas Programme launched in 1974 to coordinate activities aimed at the protection of the marine environment through a regional approach. UNEP/MAP became a model for other UNEP-administered Regional Seas Action Plans around the world.
UNEP/MAP was instrumental in the negotiation and adoption of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) and its Protocols by the Contracting Parties: 21 Mediterranean countries and the European Union.
The Barcelona Convention and its Protocols constitute a unique and advanced multilateral legal framework for the protection of the marine and coastal environment and sustainable use of their resources in the Mediterranean.
The UNEP/MAP–Barcelona Convention system is the comprehensive institutional, legal and implementation framework that the Contracting Parties have adopted for concerted action to fulfill the vision of a healthy Mediterranean Sea and Coast that underpin sustainable development in the region.
Over the last four decades, the UNEP/MAP—Barcelona Convention system has responded to evolving environmental challenges and bolstered a growing body of knowledge on marine and coastal ecosystems and of interactions between development and environment in the Mediterranean region.
A brief timeline
- 1974: The United Nations Environment Programme launches the Regional Seas Programme.
- 1975: The Mediterranean countries and the European Community approve the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) as the institutional framework for cooperation in addressing common challenges of marine environmental degradation.
- 1976: The Mediterranean governments and the European Community adopt the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution (Barcelona Convention) in February 1976 together with two Protocols addressing the prevention of pollution by dumping from ships and aircraft and cooperation in combating pollution in cases of emergency.
- 1979: The Mediterranean Regional Trust Fund for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea against pollution is established.
- 1995: UNEP/MAP Phase II is relaunched as: “Action Plan for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Sustainable Development of the Coastal Areas of the Mediterranean”. The Contracting Parties adopt substantive amendments to the Barcelona Convention as the “Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean”, encompassing the key principles adopted at the landmark 1992 Rio Conference, including sustainable use of marine and coastal resources and sustainable development.
- 1996: The Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) is established in line with Article 4 of the Barcelona Convention as an advisory body to the Contracting Parties to assist them in their efforts to integrate environmental issues in their socioeconomic programmes and to promote sustainable development policies in the Mediterranean region and countries. Acting as a forum for experience sharing and peer learning, the Commission is unique in its composition and includes not only government representatives but also local authorities, socio-economic actors, non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, the scientific community and parliamentarians. All MCSD members participate in its deliberations on an equal footing. The MCSD notably coordinates the preparation of the Mediterranean Strategy on Sustainable Development (MSSD), as a strategic framework document for all stakeholders and partners to translate the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at regional, sub-regional, national and local levels.
- 2008: The MAP-Barcelona Convention system commits to the Ecosystem Approach as an overarching principle. Several COP decisions encompass the adoption of an ecosystem-based vision for a healthy and productive Mediterranean Sea and Coast along with 11 Mediterranean Ecological Objectives and a Roadmap to support regional national efforts towards achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) in the Mediterranean.
- 2008 bis: The MAP—Barcelona Convention Compliance Procedures and Mechanism are established. The Compliance Committee provides advice and support to the Contracting Parties in their efforts to honor their obligations under the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols while promoting compliance.
- 2015: the first six-year MAP Medium-Term Strategy (MTS 2016-2021) and the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) 2016-2025, which provides a strategic policy framework for securing a sustainable future for the Mediterranean region consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals, are adopted by COP 19 Barcelona Convention.
- 2019: COP 21 Barcelona Convention adopts the Naples Ministerial Declaration, which describes 2020 as a “critical turning point for the conservation and sustainable management of the Mediterranean Sea and coast” and underscores the “need for a systemic change supported by forward-looking and innovative strategies, policies, and behaviors”. Read more on the Naples Ministerial Declaration
For additional information on the adoption of the Barcelona Convention Protocols, click here.
