The 21st Meeting 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 was held from December 2nd to 5th 2019 in Naples, Italy.
Ministers representing the 22 Contracting Parties of the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols, the Executive Director of UNEP, Ms. Inger Andersen, representatives of stakeholders and distinguished guests attended the Ministerial Segment on 4 December 2019. A High-Level Panel discussion took place at the opening of the Ministerial Segment. The High-Level Segment notably endorsed the Naples Ministerial Declaration, reiterating their commitment to the health of the Mediterranean and their strong political support to the UNEP/MAP mandate.
The Interactive Ministerial Policy Review Session served to provide strategic guidance for the preparation of the next UNEP/MAP Medium-Term Strategy, considering the global context. The discussions notably focused on issues related to Marine Litter, Marine Protected Areas and Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Blue Economy (with a focus on Integrated Coastal Zone Management/Marine Spatial Planning and Sustainable Tourism).
COP 21 considered for adoption a number of draft decisions related to governance of the UNEP/MAP—Barcelona Convention system as well as to thematic issues. Furthermore, COP 21 discussed and eventually adopted the UNEP/MAP Programme of Work and Budget for 2020-2021.
A number of important draft decisions pertained also to operational themes related to the protection of the marine environment and the coastal region of the Mediterranean (details).
The progress being made by the MedECC on the 1st Mediterranean Assessment Report (MAR1) was appreciated. The elements of the roadmap for the consultation of decision-makers and stakeholders on MAR1 involving Mediterranean Action Plan Focal Points, the Mediterranean Action Plan Components’ Focal Points, and the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development in coordination with consultation through the UfM Secretariat were approved. The request of undertaking an extensive communication on the results of MAR1 has been formulated.
Watch the live stream: https://youtu.be/79o3r-qgHuQ
More information:
- Presse Release
- on COP 21 website: http://www.cop21med-italy.net/index.php/conference/
- on UNEP/MAP website: http://web.unep.org/unepmap/barcelona-convention-cop21-naples-2-5-december-2019
Videos:
Barcelona Convention COP21 (Elen Lemaitre-Curri, Director of Plan Bleu, UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Center)