7th UfM Task Force on Environment addresses key Mediterranean issues and 2030 GreenerMed Agenda
Brussels, November 15-16, 2023 – The 7th UfM Task Force on Environment convened in Brussels and online, bringing together national representatives and regional stakeholders to deliberate on crucial environmental issues pertaining to the Euro-Mediterranean region. Chaired by the EU and Jordanian Co-Presidency alongside the UfM Secretariat, the meeting highlighted significant developments across various fronts as described in the 2030 GreenerMed Agenda.
Delegates engaged in joint discussions focused on the upcoming COP28 for Climate Change and COP16 for Biodiversity, as well as the implementation of the approved Global Biodiversity Framework. The exchange allowed Member States to outline the priorities and needs of the Mediterranean region in preparation for these global events.
The meeting also underscored the progress made with the international legally-binding agreement aimed at ending plastic pollution. The connection between this global initiative and Mediterranean efforts was emphasised to enhance collaborative action to combat this form of pollution in the region.
Delegates recognised and discussed the Water Energy Food Environment (WEFE) nexus approach, stressing its role in building synergies across the UfM’s thematic areas. The environmental component of the nexus was highlighted due to its importance and its relation to the other elements of the framework of the Mediterranean region and the 2030GreenerMed Agenda.
The status of the 2030GreenerMed Agenda’s implementation was reviewed referencing the 2023 Monitoring report. A total of 229 regional and multi-country programmes and projects are integrated in the 2030GreenerMed Agenda, of which 131 are still active. A third of these projects address more than one thematic axis, with researchers and academics being the most frequent project partners across all thematic axes.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development provided insights on Green/Blue Finance, in particular in relation to the Blue Med Partnership, calling attention to the need for additional finance to implement a green transition in the Mediterranean.
Different updates from projects and initiatives associated to the 2030GreenerMed were provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization, Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area, BlueMission Med, Interreg EuroMed, Interreg NEXT Med, Water and Environment Support, the United Nations Development Programme, the Plan of Action for a Model Mediterranean Sea, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and MeDECC.
On the second day of the event, participants visited a nature-based rain water management system (drainage and natural depollution) managed by a local operator in the Brussels area.
