- When: November 16, 2026 – 10:30 AM (TRT/UTC+3)
- Where: COP31 Press Conference Room 1 (Mevlana), Area D2-D3
- Language: English
- A streaming link for journalists not onsite will be available here
The Mediterranean is one of the world’s deadliest and most congested migration routes. It is also a climate change hotspot warming 20% faster than the global average that has historically faced geopolitical instability. How can these factors converge to shape future migratory patterns in this environmentally vulnerable region?
Union for the Mediterranean Deputy Secretary General Joan Borrell and University of Salento scientist Piero Lionello from the Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change will discuss the network’s latest findings on the matter. Environmental change, conflict, and human migration in the Mediterranean Basin assesses the latest scientific, technical, and socioeconomic literature available with the aim of informing policies that minimise human suffering and support regional stability.
Building on the groundbreaking First Mediterranean Assessment Report (MAR1), the first-ever region-wide scientific report on climate change and environmental degradation in the Mediterranean, this new report comes as the UfM-supported network is gearing up to publish an updated analysis of the Mediterranean’s unique climate and environmental challenges.
Given the impact of environmental change on our region, the UfM is once again hosting the Mediterranean Pavilion at this year’s COP, the first to take place on the shores of our shared sea. The UfM, alongside the COP31 host country, is also behind the Antalya Mediterranean Climate Dialogue consultation process to strengthen Mediterranean cooperation on climate action. By joining forces with key regional players, the UfM ensures the Mediterranean is present in global climate processes.
About MedECC
The Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC) is an independent network of scientists founded in 2015 to provide decision-makers and the public with assessments of the latest scientific information available. To date, more than 350 experts from 40 countries have contributed to MedECC reports. The MedECC Secretariat is hosted in Marseille by Plan Bleu, one of the Regional Activity Centres of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), in partnership with the Union for the Mediterranean.
About the UfM
The Union for the Mediterranean is a Euro-Mediterranean intergovernmental organisation that brings together the EU27 and 16 countries from the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean. It provides Member States with a platform to strengthen regional cooperation and dialogue and to implement impactful projects and initiatives to meet the region’s three strategic objectives: stability, inclusive development, and integration.
For interview requests or information under embargo
Cristina Tomàs, Press officer
cristina.tomas@ufmsecretariat.org
+34 691 519 634