News

The UNEP/MAP Secretariat invites Mediterranean Women and Youth organizations to submit their applications to become Members of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD).

A new step forward for sustainable coastal governance in the Mediterranean On 2 January 2026, Italy deposited its Instrument of Ratification of the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in the Mediterranean. The Protocol entered into force for Italy on 1 February 2026, making Italy the 13th Contracting Party to the Barcelona Convention to ratify it, out of 17 signatories.

   COP24 reaffirmed Mediterranean countries’ shared commitment to conserving and sustainably using the Mediterranean Sea and its coastal areas. The Cairo Ministerial Declaration emphasized solidarity, cooperation, enhanced financial support, capacity-building, technical assistance, and technology, celebrating the 50 years of UNEP/MAP and marking a key milestone for the Mediterranean environment.

Cairo, Egypt – December 2, 2025 – The first day of the 24th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (#COP24Med) featured important discussions on the pressing environmental challenges facing the Mediterranean Sea, including biodiversity loss, pollution, climate change, and resource use, was well as the decisions related to these issues aimed at strengthening environmental protection for the upcoming biennium.

Athens marked United Nations Day on Friday, 24 October 2025, an occasion observed every year to celebrate the founding of the UN. The city hosted a solemn ceremony atop the Acropolis and at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to honor the organization’s 80th anniversary.

The 2025 Meeting of the Focal Points of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) of the Barcelona Convention took place in Athens, Greece, from 16–19 September 2025. Delegates from 21 Contracting Parties, the European Union, United Nations bodies, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations participated in the meeting, reviewed progress under the 2024–2025 biennium, and prepared for the 24th Meeting of the Contracting Parties (COP 24), to be held on 2–5 December 2025 in Cairo, Egypt.

Corinth, 11 July 2025 - The Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) concluded its 21st meeting in Corinth, Greece, reaffirming the region’s SD strategy as a key driver of the green transition.

Istanbul, 8 July 2025 – During the Regional Meeting on Climate Change Adaptation, held from 8 to 9 July 2025 in Istanbul, experts from the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention agreed on an updated Regional Climate Change Adaptation Framework (RCCAF) 2026–2035. The revised framework, which will be submitted for formal endorsement at COP24, provides a strengthened regional response to enhance climate resilience in coastal and marine areas of the Mediterranean.

During the first day of the MED POL Focal Points Meeting, taking place from 17 to 19 June 2025 in Athens, the Contracting Parties representatives presented their proposed National Action Plans/Programmes of Measures (NAPs/POMs) to combat/prevent marine pollution, in line with the LBS Protocol of the Barcelona Convention and Ecosystem Approach.

The Plan of Action for a Model Mediterranean Sea (PAMEx) demonstrated its pivotal role as a regional cooperation platform during the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC-3), held in Nice, France, from 9 to 13 June 2025. Under the Greek Presidency, PAMEx hosted a side event titled “PAMEx: A Platform for Cooperation Towards a Model Mediterranean Sea by 2030” on 10 June 2025. The event spotlighted the initiative’s achievements and future outlook.

Nice, 11 June 2025 — The EU-funded Bolstering Mediterranean Biodiversity and Marine and Coastal Protected Areas for Nature Project (SEMPA Project) was presented during a side event at the 3rd UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3), marking the launch of the second phase of the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) Survey Initiative (ASI-II).

The Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC-3) has provided, on 10 June 2025, a momentous occasion for the Mediterranean region, as ministers, high-level representatives and the Executive Director of UNEP gathered to commemorate 50 years of the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan and 30 years of the post-Rio Barcelona Convention, during the Mediterranean high-level event organized jointly by Slovenia, France, Egypt and Spain with support from UNEP/MAP.

The Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP), the lead executing agency of the MedProgramme, organized the first edition of the GEF-UNEP MedProgramme’s Annual Stocktaking Meeting (ASM) on 2-3 November 2022 in Athens, Greece. “Assess – Synergize – Move forward” was the slogan chosen for the ASM, which was organized jointly with the implementing agencies and executing partners of the eight MedProgramme Child Projects.

UNEP/MAP together with its Partner MEPIELAN (Mediterranean Programme for International Environmental Law and Negotiation) are pleased to announce the launch, in cooperation with EPLO (the European Public Law Organization) of the week-long online training school “Sustainable Marine Governance in the Mediterranean - Environmental Governance and Sustainability” scheduled to take place from 5 to 10 May 2025.

We are pleased to announce the opening of the MAP/Barcelona Convention Anniversaries Celebrations with the Launch of the Second Edition of the Mediterranean Quality Status Report. The opening of the Campaign will start on 23 January 2025, at 11:30 a.m. Central European Time (CET). Access to this event is through the following hyperlink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJJZd5XSEM0

Mediterranean coastal cities and local authorities are invited to submit their applications for the fifth edition of the Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award (IEFCA). The deadline for the submission of applications is 15th April 2025

Mediterranean Coast Day (25 September) is an annual observance introduced by the Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP). PAP/RAC, the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre dedicated to the protection and sustainable management of the coastal zones, established Mediterranean Coast Day within the framework of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Protocol

Members of parliaments play a pivotal role in transposing Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) into enforceable national law. The freshly published "Parliamentarian’s guide to protecting the Mediterranean Sea and coast" is aimed at members of parliament serving in the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the protection of the marine environment and the coastal region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention), namely 21 Mediterranean countries and the European Union.

Portoroz, 8 December 2023—The 23rd Meeting (COP23) of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols, which took place on 5-8 December 2023 in Portoroz (Slovenia), adopted important steps to protect ecosystems in the face of the rising impacts of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Portoroz, 7 December 2023 —The Mediterranean coastal city of Genoa (Italy) is the winner of the fourth edition (2023) of the Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award. Mr.

The 23rd Meeting (COP 23) of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) and its Protocols will take place from 5-8 December 2023 in Portoroz, Slovenia. The overarching goal is to enhance the protection of the Mediterranean region’s marine and coastal environment in the context of sustainable development. 

Financé par l'Union européenne, le projet régional IMAP-MPA s'est terminé en août 2023 après 48 mois d'activités visant « Vers le bon état écologique de la mer et des côtes méditerranéennes à travers un réseau d’aires marines protégées écologiquement représentatives, bien gérées et surveillées ».

Ms. Fatma Varank, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye, and President of the Bureau of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, opened the 2023 meeting of the Focal Points of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), which took place on 12-15 September in Istanbul (Türkiye).

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organic compounds that used to be produced worldwide but are now banned under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), a global treaty aiming to eliminate or restrict the production, use and trade of chemicals that are recognized as persistent, bio-accumulative and harmful to human and environmental health.

Mediterranean Coast Day (25 September) is an annual observance introduced by the Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP).