Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD)
At the 12th Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (Monaco, November 2001) the 21 Mediterranean rim countries and the European Community decided to prepare a “Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development”. They requested the Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development (MCSD) of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) to develop a draft. The 2nd Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on the Environment (Athens, July 2002) endorsed this initiative, subsequently announced at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, September 2002), acknowledging that the MCSD was the appropriate framework for its formulation.
Plan Bleu has been in charge of the technical coordination, and the writing
of the draft of the Strategy under the authority of the Coordinator of
the MAP, and with the support of the other MAP Regional Activity Centres.
June the 22nd in Athens, the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development
has been adopted by the MAP’s advisory body, the Mediterranean Commission
for Sustainable Development (MCSD).
This wide-ranging strategy to achieve sustainable development in the Mediterranean
region will be transmitted to the Parties for formal endorsement at their
14th conference in Portoroz, Slovenia, 8-11 november 2005.
The Mediterranean Strategy calls for action to pursue towards sustainable development goals so as to strengthen peace, stability, and prosperity. It takes into account the weaknesses of the region and the threats it faces, but also its strengths and opportunities. It also considers the reality of the gaps between the developed and developing countries, and lays the stress on the necessity to help the transition of the Mediterranean countries of the East Adriatic, the South and the East. The challenge for all the Mediterranean countries is jointly to benefit from the Strategy in terms of human and economic development, environmental protection, and culture protection.
The Strategy is structured around four objectives and seven interlinked
priority fields action. Thirty-four indicators are annexed to enable the
follow-up of the Strategy. The Strategy will be reviewed by MCSD every
two years, and revised every five years.
The four main objectives are: i)contribute to economic development by enhancing
Mediterranean assets ii) reduce social disparities by implementing the
UN Millenium Development Goals and improve cultural integration iii) change
unsustainable production and consumption patterns and ensure the sustainable
management of natural resources iv) improve governance at the local, national,
and regional levels.
The seven priority fields of action are water resources; energy management
and addressing impacts of climate change; transport; tourism; urban development;
agriculture and management of the sea; coastal areas and marine resources.
A set of fact sheets related to the MSSD follow-up indicators is available on the website.
For further information:
Download the full text of the Strategy
