Sustainable Blue Economy in the Mediterranean region
Summary
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is an intergovernmental organization of 42 countries, bringing together all countries of the European Union and 15 countries of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean.It is a unique framework for cooperation and dialogue in the Mediterranean region with a clear mandate to foster regional cooperation and integration with a view to improve stability and social well-being.The objective is to foster regional dialogue and reinforce action around the shared priority areas of blue economy identified through the UfM Ministerial Declarations on Sustainable Blue Economy adopted by the 42,together with the governance structure set up to manage them and the stable mechanisms for stakeholders ‘involvement (through the Med Blue Economy Platform; regular Stakeholders Conferences and Consultations; etc.)
The 2nd UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy was adopted on the 2nd of February 2021;the 1st was approved in November 2015.
Classifications
Region
Scale of implementation
Ecosystem
Theme
Challenges
Sustainable development goals
Aichi targets
Business engagement approach
Challenges
- The impacts of climate change on resources and ecosystems;
- Marine and atmospheric pollution (from ships and ports, source-to-sea, marine litter including micro and macro plastics, etc.);
- Population density in coastal areas and pressure from seasonal flows;
- Unsustainable patterns of economic development (resource-intensive production processes, consumption intensive lifestyles);
- Overall fostering a sustainable BE, related relevant sectors and cross-cutting enablers (sustainable marine and coastal tourism; promotion of marine research and innovation; blue skills, careers and employment ; MRE; maritime safety and security, etc.);
- Integration and coordination among sectors and activities consistent with a SBE in the Med (i.e. limited space as a challenge,etc.);
- Continuing to foster governance and dialogue between UfM member countries for the future of sea basin strategies in the Mediterranean region;
- Unsustainable fishing practices and food security focusing on fostering wild fish stocks and sustainable aquaculture
Beneficiaries
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National, regional and local governments.
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Enterprises,SMEs, entrepreneurs
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Associations, NGOs
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Citizens
- The 42 UfM member countries as well as institutions and stakeholders involved.
Building blocks
How do the building blocks interact?
The building blocks are part of the same UfM Blue Economy system, so they interact and are actually complementary to each other.
Furthermore, reaching the expected impacts requires joint, concerted and coordinated actions at cross-border level with a very wide geographical coverage of a broad range of stakeholders, ranging from international organisations from the UN system, (UNEP-MAP, FAO, UNIDO, ) regional organisations (CIHEAM,), NGO’s, private sector, IFI’s, to different levels of national administrations –both at policy and implementation level.
Coordination with other connected and relevant existing initiatives (e.g. WestMED; BLUEMED; EUSAIR; InterregMed communities including the Blue Growth and the Tourism ones; ENI CBC projects; PANORAMED; Plastic Busters Initiative; etc ) is ensured and geared precisely to this overall objective, as is the strengthened engagement with financial institutions and bilateral and multilateral donors in the dialogue on investment in the blue economy (ENI CBC Med Programme, Interreg Med Programme, EBRD, EIB, WWF,CPRM, etc.).
Interaction Gallery
Impacts
The 2nd UfM Ministerial declaration on sustainable Blue Economy ensures continuity in the implementation of the blue economy agenda and portfolio, shaped according to the commitments made by Minister from the 42 UfM countries in 2021. It gives support and impulse to further developments on blue economy in the Euro-Mediterranean región, expanding the number of priorityaáreas to 10. In terms of mid to long term impacts, the aim is for Blue Economy to become a solid pillar of the Mediterranean regional agenda, thus supporting UFM member countries to:
- Develop an enabling environment - including institutional, technical and business related and mainstream sustainable blue economy approaches into government policies and strategies;
- Ensurie a convergence of efforts towards :
a) Relaunching crucial sectors of the economy of the entire area (infrastructure, tourism, fisheries, aquaculture, etc..), promoting research/innovation within a sustainable approach respectful of the environment and in line with related sustainability targets, and
b) Promoting employment opportunities, with a focus on youth, in targeted sectors, both in terms of new Jobs, skills and careers and adequate training e (requalification, etc. ) as well as in terms of investments and business.
Story
The Mediterranean region offers an immense potential for the sustainable, environmentally friendly development of its people. The UfM promotes regional cooperation to protect the Mediterranean Sea and the natural resources of the countries belonging to its area, and supports partnerships inspired by ‘green/blue’ circular economy principles.
Serious environmental threats, including water scarcity, put at risk this potential. Sustainable access, provision and use of water are key concerns. Particularly, the areas along the southern and eastern shores of the region are among the world’s most water-scarce, with more than 150 million people facing water stress as well as water pollution problems. The UfM supports the implementation of regional agendas on Water, Environment and Blue Economy through initiatives such as the H2020 initiative for a Cleaner Mediterranean, with the objective of tackling 80% of pollution sources by 2020.
The UfM has observer status at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
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