Current Projects

Child Project 4.1 (GEF ID 9686) supports the GEF-funded UN MedProgramme, which is the first regional multi-focal area programme in the Mediterranean covering Chemicals and Waste (C&W), International Waters (IW), Biodiversity (BD) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), in terms of knowledge management.  

The objective of this Child Project (CP 4.1) is to foster programme-wide learning and dissemination of knowledge, effective portfolio coordination and synergistic interactions among Child Projects (CPs), gender mainstreaming actions and monitoring progress to impacts. It ensures coordination and monitoring of all CPs and focuses on increasing the capacity of programme stakeholders to address major environmental problems affecting the Mediterranean coastal areas and shallow marine environments such as pollution, impacts of climate change, coastal zone, and marine resources degradation. CP 4.1 is being executed by the MedProgramme Coordination Unit (MedPCU), which is hosted at the Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP), Barcelona Convention Secretariat, Athens, Greece. 

UNEP/MAP is the Executing Agency of the Child Project, and its participating countries are Albania, Algeria, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco and Tunisia (NB: Although Turkey did not endorse this Child Project, the country will be engaged through its overarching knowledge management, gender mainstreaming and coordination services to the entire portfolio). It should be noted that while the responsibility of the implementation of CP 4.1 is entirely attributed to the MedPCU, it relies entirely on the cooperation with and on the contributions from theMedProgramme’s Executing Partners (UNESCO/IHP, EIB, IUCN Med, GWP-Med, WWF Med, Plan Bleu, PAP/RAC, SCP/RAC ,and SPA/RAC), as well as the programme’s second Implementing Agency, EBRD. 

CP 4.1. has the following two components: 

• Knowledge Sharing and Dissemination 
• Coordination and Synergies 

Component 1 encompasses tools, services and activities that promote the effective use of knowledge across the MedProgramme and the dissemination of relevant information to the programme’s stakeholders.

These include:

(i) the suite of tools that comprise the Knowledge Management Platform (including a Project Management Tool, an outward-facing web portal with sub-websites for each of the CPs, databases, and data visualization tools);

(ii) a set of communication, outreach and awareness-raising products and activities, including the MedProgramme’s visual identity, promotional videos, social media campaigns, publications, awareness-raising events, knowledge exchanges, participation in global campaigns and events, and engagement with media and goodwill ambassadors; and

(iii) two Replication Atlases, intended to showcase successful/innovative practices of CPs and their potential for regional replication. 

Component 2 is dedicated to the programme-wide coordination and monitoring system that supports the implementation of all CPs ensures their consistency with the overall Programme objectives and helps capture synergies among projects and partners.

This programme-wide coordination and monitoring system includes:

(i) the MedProgramme Bulletins and regular reporting on progress and expenditures;

(ii) the Annual Stocktaking Meetings (ASM);

(iii) cooperation and synergies with the IW:LEARN  and its community;

(iv) reporting mechanisms with the Implementing Agency (IA) and the EA’s Executing Partners;

(v) the MedProgramme Gender Monitoring Framework for all gender mainstreaming activities; and

(vi) the organization of the Project Steering Committee  (PSC) meetings for the CPs implemented by UNEP. 

The GEF project “Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach in the Adriatic Sea through Marine Spatial Planning” (GEF Adriatic Project) is a sub-regional project, implemented in Albania and Montenegro, which aims to restore the ecological balance of the Adriatic Sea through the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach (EcAp) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). 

The specific objectives of the Project are to: 

• Increase the level of knowledge in participating countries to achieve joint assessment, protection and sustainable use of marine areas (Outcome 1: Science-based consensus among sub-regional countries on Good Environmental Status of the Adriatic Sea; and Outcome 2: Programme on integrated observation and monitoring is agreed among Adriatic countries, including a set of regionally agreed common indicators). 

• Strengthen participating countries' capacity for sub-regional marine management through targeted demonstration of successful tools and practices (Outcome 3: Marine Spatial Planning demonstrates how environmental status of all Adriatic countries could be improved) 

• Share knowledge and experiences to secure successful participation of stakeholders (Outcome 4: Increased national and regional awareness of the usefulness of the ecosystem approach and marine spatial planning). 

The project has three main components. 

Component 1: Consolidating common knowledge to utilize Ecosystem Approach (EcAp) as applied by UNEP/MAP and Blue Growth in the Adriatic sub-region 

Component 1 aims to consolidate the knowledge that already exists in the two beneficiary countries (Albania and Montenegro) with regard to the implementation of the EcAp in this part of the Adriatic sub-region. In addition, through this component, new data will be collected with the aim to assess the current situation regarding the ecological status. The respective assessment will facilitate implementation of the MSP. 

Component 2: Integrating Marine Spatial Planning into planning process and capacity building for improved sub-regional environmental marine management 

The main objectives of Component 2 are to: 

• Develop a methodology for integrating EcAp and MSP; 

• Test the methodology by developing a Marine Spatial Plan for a designated zone using inputs from implementation of IMAP/EcAp in the Adriatic; 

• Build capacities of beneficiary countries for the application of MSP integrated with EcAp. 

This Component is also a specific added value of the project as it is providing integration of two key governance frameworks developed under the Barcelona System – Ecosystem Approach and Marine Spatial Planning that is a practical novelty within the System, but also beyond it as well. 

Component 3: Knowledge management, Stakeholder involvement and Communication Strategy 

This component aims at building support for the project's implementation with a view to increasing its chances for success. In addition, it aims at increasing local and regional awareness of the usefulness of the ecosystem approach and marine spatial planning.

The Child Project 2.2 (GEF ID 9685) is promoting the Water, Energy, Food, and Ecosystems Nexus approach and is catalyzing action for its adoption and implementation in the Mediterranean area.  

Given that water, food, energy, and ecosystems are essential for human well-being, poverty reduction, and sustainable development and that they are interlinked through a Nexus of natural, institutional, economic, and social frameworks, the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus (a.k.a Nexus) approach aims to facilitate the enhancement of water, energy,, and food security, while preserving ecosystems and their functions and increasing climate resilience, by reducing trade-offs, shifting towards more sustainable consumption patterns and improving demand management towards efficiency, building synergies and improving governance across sectors. 

The Nexus approach is based on inter-sectoral management, enhanced science-based technical assessment, policy dialogue, governance improvements, mobilization of financing, replicable applications, collaboration, and coordination among involved players and stakeholders. 

The Project focuses on producing benefits for the coastal and the marine area. Particularly related to water, by addressing the Nexus, the Project recognizes the relevance of the entire spectrum of competing water needs, stressing the explicit role, interests, and leadership of other sectoral stakeholders beyond the water sector. 

In three selected coastal areas, Albania, Lebanon, and Morocco using the Nexus approach, the Project seeks to: 

• Understand the interlinkages among the Nexus sectors and related issues;

• Identify solutions in response to challenges for fostering water-food-energy security, reduction of land-based nutrient pollution and other pressures, protection of coastal habitats and biodiversity, and enhanced climate change resilience; 

• Support the development of Nexus Strategies and/or Action Plans as parts of existing or in-the-making ICZM plans and strategies; 

• Identify and test novel approaches for addressing management issues and work to upscale these; 

• Develop project proposals enabling priority solutions/interventions to address pressing issues identified. 

UNEP/MAP is the Executing Agency of the Child Project, the Executing Partner is GWP Med and the participating countries are Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, and Tunisia. 

This Child Project is composed of four Components: 

• Component 1: Institutional strengthening 

• Component 2: Addressing Nexus issues affecting priority coastal zones of the Mediterranean LME. 

• Component 3: Testing and upscaling Nexus solutions 

• Component 4: Consultation and outreach 

The actions of Component 1 are aimed at creating, at the regional level, the enabling conditions for implementing the key feature of the Nexus approach: the integration among the most important sectors for the society and economy as well as the environment. 

This Component is expected to: 

• Identify the level of integration among Nexus sectors in each interested country and inform the possible development of a Nexus Regional strategic document describing orientations, partners, capacities, and steps for the introduction of the Nexus approach in the natural resources management frameworks. 

• Raise awareness, increase understanding and enhance capacities of institutions and stakeholders, through knowledge exchange and cross-fertilization regarding the Nexus approach. 

Component 2 is the key component of the Project. The Nexus approach will be applied in three countries to foster integrated policy-making and management: Albania; at the country level; Lebanon: at the country level; and in occo: in the Tangiers Tetouan region. 

This will be done by developing a Nexus Assessment and Nexus Policy Dialogues. 

In each of the countries, actions under this Component will be used to: 

• Identify linkages/benefits/trade-offs among sectors, define priorities and assess the trends under different scenarios leading to concrete suggestions for synergic action in the field of policymaking, and management of natural resources. 

• Identify concrete actions for the application of the solutions identified through the Nexus assessments and policy dialogues as well as for the incorporation of the Nexus approach in national policy formulation and decision-making for natural resources management. 

• Identify priority Nexus-related interventions. 

Component 3 is dedicated to the identification, funding, and pilot implementation of up to four Nexus solutions in the Partner Countries while Component 4 is dedicated to stakeholder involvement and the promotion of the results of the project. 

Child Project 2.1 (GEF ID 9687) addresses Mediterranean coastal zones where the most pressing climate-related and sustainability concerns are concentrated, and where most marine degradation originates. It is aimed at achieving positive impacts in the following domains: 

• Sustainability of the coastal zone resources in beneficiary countries through the expanded compliance with the ICZM Protocol, the adoption of national ICZM strategies, coastal plans and instruments, and improved gender equality; 

• Resilience to climatic variability and change and water security of coastal populations through improved sustainability of services provided by coastal aquifers and by groundwater-related coastal habitats; and 

• Effectiveness, long-term sustainability, and replication potential of project results by sharing experiences and lessons learned in and among countries, and full integration of gender considerations.  

The project's purpose is to assist countries, in particular coastal zone managers and populations, in adapting to evolving climatic conditions threatening the sustainability of the freshwater supply and introducing land use policies and development practices respectful of the diverse Mediterranean coastal zones characteristics: intrinsic vulnerabilities, natural and cultural functions, freshwater-seawater interactions; and geological processes. By promoting gender equality principles in coastal zone management practices and policies, and mainstreaming gender considerations in all of its activities, the project will improve the effectiveness and sustainability of integrated coastal zone management in the Mediterranean region. 

UNEP/MAP is the Executing Agency of this Child Project, and its participating countries are Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco and Tunisia. The Executing Partners are UNESCO/IHP, GWP-Med, Plan Bleu and PAP/RAC. 

This Child Project is composed of two Components: 

• Component 1: Coastal Zone Management 

• Component 2: Management of Coastal Aquifers and Related Ecosystems 

Component 1 extends to the spatial components of the Source-to-Sea continuum: basins/aquifers, coastal and marine zones.  Planning documents, like National ICZM Strategies and ICZM Plans, will be developed four countries: Egypt, Lebanon, Montenegro, and Morocco. In the remaining five countries of the project, activities supporting ratification and implementation of the ICZM Protocol, implementation of the national ICZM strategies and launching of Coastal plans, including awareness-raising and capacity-building activities will be implemented.   

Component 1 will support the implementation of comprehensive ICZM approaches, including:  

• Preparation, adoption and support to the implementation of gender-sensitive National ICZM Strategies, or coastal plans, informed by the participatory Climagine foresight methodology; marine spatial plans and plans focused on coastal resilience to Climate Variability and Change adopting the Integrative Methodological Framework (IMF),   

• Translation of intrinsic environmental vulnerabilities (ecosystems, climate, and groundwater) into Coastal Zone Use Capability or suitability maps and related guidance;  

• Use of ICZM tools and instruments;  

• Capacity building activities for ICZM, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and adaptation to climate variability and change (all project countries) and  

• Awareness-raising activities on coastal resilience, coastal aquifers and women in coastal management. 

Component 2 will implement sustainable management policies and practices in the five coastal aquifers considered of priority importance by the countries and in the coastal ecosystems related to them while conducting sub-regional training and national dialogues on the conjunctive surface and groundwater management solutions in coastal areas. These aquifers are: 

• Albania and Montenegro – Buna-Bojana transboundary coastal aquifer 

• Egypt – North West coastal aquifer  

• Lebanon – Damour coastal aquifer 

• Morocco – Rhiss-Nekkor coastal aquifer 

• Tunisia – Ras Jebel coastal aquifer (as per the decision of the PSC in May 2022) 

The actions that the project will implement under Component 2 will include the further  characterization and management improvement of coastal aquifers through the following activities:  

• Aquifer assessments, the assessment of seawater intrusion and aquifer salinization, mapping of water and land use and inventorying wells, estimating abstractions and related energy consumption, and conducting sex-disaggregated data collection and gender analyses, amongst others; 

• The identification of major submarine groundwater discharge zones (all project countries), and assessment of flows and contaminant loads for the five priority coastal aquifers ;  

• Integrated assessment including a systematic mapping of groundwater vulnerability in the coastal zone of the five priority aquifers;  

• The assessment and diagnosis of coastal ecosystems related to priority aquifers, and the strengthening of management capacity related to ecosystem services and their evolution trends; 

• Improvement of stakeholder involvement through capacity building and participating in workshops and consultations; 

• The preparation for the adoption of management plans for the five priority coastal aquifers; and the design and testing on the ground of modern multi-purpose monitoring networks for the five priority coastal aquifers.