Meeting on the "Mediterranean Information system on Environment and Sustainable Development"

Blue Plan and INFO/RAC met in Sophia-Antipolis on March 27, 2008 for exchanging on the "Mediterranean Information system on Environment and Sustainable Development" currently strengthened at Blue Plan and on a joint project proposal, which will be presented to the second meeting of the MAP-Executive Coordination Panel (ECP) (Malta, May 29, 2008).

Type UN simulation on climate change in the Mediterranean

150 students from different Mediterranean countries (Egypt, Spain, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and France) participated in "the Euroregion in the United Nations" from 25 to 27 March 2008 in Marseilles. A UN simulation model, dealing with climate change in the Mediterranean, was organised by the UN Information Regional Centre, the United Nations Association of France and the Aix-en-Provence University, in partnership with the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region and Plan Bleu. This simulation of the United Nations General Assembly works aimed at introducing students to international negotiations techniques, at familiarizing them with the functioning and the stakes of the UN, as well as at promoting exchanges between young people from different countries. In the framework of the opening session of this UN simulation model, held on 26 March 2008, Plan Bleu presented its activities regarding the environment and sustainable development in the Mediterranean, along with the main conclusions of the last meeting of the UNEP Ministerial forum on financing to combat climate change.

Seminar on the governance of high seas biodiversity

Lucien Chabason, Plan Bleu's chairman, participated to an international seminar on the topic « Towards a new governance of high seas biodiversity » which was organized by the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (Iddri), in Principality of Monaco, March 20th-21st, 2008. This seminar was bringing together experts at the Oceanographic Museum aiming to examine potential approaches for improving governance of marine biodiversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction. More information :
http://www.iddri.org/Activites/Conferences-internationales/Towards-a-new-governance-of-high-seas-biodiversity/

Horizon 2020 – first meeting of Sub-Group on Pollution Reduction

On March 13th, 2008 in Brussels, as a participant in the Horizon 2020 Steering Group, Plan Bleu was invited to the first meeting of the Sub-Group on Pollution Reduction. Arranged by the European Commission, the meeting was chaired by the European Investment Bank. One of the key objectives of this working group is to establish a pipeline of priority projects that could be financed by the international institutions or bilateral donors. To start this process, the EIB has been working with MAP components to identify “bankable” projects through the Mediterranean Hotspot Identification Programme (MeHSIP), on the basis of a study which was financed under the FEMIP Support Fund and discussed by the Sub-Group. In the frame of this study, 44 projects were identified for possible funding under MeHSIP in Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia. The related estimated total investment amounts to 2.1 billion euros.

EIB Forum “Promoting sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean: how to address the economic and environmental challenges”

On March 6th, 2008, in Berlin, Henri-Luc Thibault participated as a moderator in the EIB Forum “Promoting sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean: how to address the economic and environmental challenges”. <More...>