12 February 2016: Ministers from 21 Mediterranean countries and the European Union (EU) adopted the Athens Declaration, in which they pledge to protect biodiversity, manage coastal zones, increase resilience to climate change and prevent pollution from marine exploration, marine transport and land-based activities. The Declaration reaffirms Party commitments to implement the instruments of the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols and the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP). The Athens Declaration will be forwarded to the second meeting of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-2).

Over 150 participants from 21 Mediterranean countries and the EU convened for the 19th Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols (Barcelona Convention CoP), which took place in Athens, Greece, from 9-12 February. Participants celebrated the Convention’s 40th anniversary and its contribution to “achieving a healthy and productive Mediterranean Sea and coast” in a special session, themed ‘Forty Years of Cooperation for Healthy and Productive Mediterranean Sea and Coast: A Collective Journey Towards Sustainable Development.’

Speaking at the event, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Deputy Executive Director Ibrahim Thiaw praised the Convention’s “cooperation, collaboration and solidarity between North and South, beyond political divergences, social upheavals and economic differences.” He called for building upon momentum from adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change to ensure implementation of the Convention and continued collaboration among Parties.

In the Declaration, Ministers, inter alia: decide to renew their commitments and increase efforts to address challenges related to environmental protection and sustainable development of the Mediterranean Sea and coast, within the framework of the 2030 Agenda; and resolve to accelerate implementation efforts and match the MAP’s past history of achievements in the future.

The Declaration further commits to: implement the UNEP/MAP Mid-Term Strategy 2016-2021; apply the ecosystem approach as an overarching principle to achieve ecological objectives, environmental aims and sustainable development; enhance measures to reduce pressures on marine and coastal environments, stop endangered species declines and safeguard and promote ecosystem services and resource efficiency; and accelerate a shift towards sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns, including through implementing the SCP Action Plan for the Mediterranean. Ministers also resolve to enhance education for sustainable development (ESD) in promoting sustainability and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Mediterranean.

Ministers further welcome the establishment of a Trust Fund for Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), promoted by France, Monaco and Tunisia, as an example of an innovative financial mechanism for biodiversity, including a financial contribution by Monaco.

UNEP/MAP also signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) at the meeting. The MOU with the Black Sea Convention focuses on cooperation on integrated marine monitoring programmes and implementation of integrated coastal zone monitoring (ICZM). With the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic Sea (ACCOBAMS), UNEP/MAP agrees to cooperate on the identification, protection and management of the marine environment and ecosystems and on cetacean conservation. Both MOUs address ecosystem-based approaches and call for building capacity and raising awareness on marine areas. [UNEP/MAP Press Release 1] [UNEP/MAP Press Release 2] [UNEP Press Release]