News

Thailand and the Maldives are strengthening efforts towards nutrient pollution under the Clean and Healthy Oceans Integrated Program (CHO-IP), a global initiative advancing ocean protection by addressing marine hypoxia and land-based ocean pollution.

Lebanon’s Damour region is taking important steps toward a more resilient, climate-smart future through the GEF-funded, UNEP-implemented, UNEP/MAP-executed MedProgramme. With pressures on land, water and coastal ecosystems increasing, stakeholders from across the country recently came together to advance an Integrated Management Plan (IMP) that embraces a holistic source-to-sea vision for the Damour River Basin.

Coastal communities in southern Cambodia are strengthening their resilience to climate impacts through innovative, science-based aquaculture solutions supported by the UNEP-implemented, GEF-funded Natural Infrastructure (NI) Cambodia project. As shifting environmental conditions challenge traditional livelihoods, the project is helping local fishery communities diversify income sources while safeguarding the health of vital mangrove ecosystems.

The health of our oceans depends on strong institutions, informed decision-making and political will. In Mexico, these elements have come together through a UNEP-implemented, ICCF-executed, Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded initiative that is strengthening ocean governance from the legislative level outward.

As the Mediterranean is celebrating Coast Day, the future of the region is more challenging than ever: rising sea levels and coastal erosion are already affecting many shores, while communities and authorities must also deal with increasing extreme weather events, pollution and biodiversity loss.

Yet one thing is clear: when people understand the risks and feel empowered to act, they become a powerful force for change.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The GEF funded Mediterranean Sea Programme (MedProgramme) is more than a collection of projects; it’s a powerful force for change, bringing together countries, partners, and sectors to drive environmental progress.

At the Third Annual Stocktaking Meeting (ASM) in Istanbul, Türkiye, participants gathered to reflect on achievements, share knowledge, and explore new ways to amplify impact under the theme “The MedProgramme: Greater than the Sum of its Parts”.

International Women's Day, celebrated annually on March 8th, is a day dedicated to recognizing the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. It is also a time to raise awareness about women's ongoing struggles and inequalities and to renew the call for gender equality and women's rights. 

This day has been observed since the early 1900s and continues to be a powerful symbol of the progress that has been made and the work that still needs to be done to create a more just and equal world for all women.

Contracting Parties and Observers at the Sixth Meeting of the Scientific, Technical and Advisory Committee (STAC)  to the Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources (LBS) and Activities in the Wider Caribbean, have reiterated the urgent need to protect our very valuable but fragile and vulnerable coastal and marine ecosystems from the negative impacts of marine pollution.