MedCities, through the Secretary-General ,Josep Canals Molina, has participated in the Thematic Ad-Hoc Meeting of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) from UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention that revises the update of the 2016-2025 Mediterranean Strategy Sustainable Development (MSSD), which includes improvements in generic aspects and strategic directions that update the document and extend its validity until 2035.  

Mrs. Tatjana Hema, UNEP coordinator, started thanking the work done so far for the MSSD in which MedCities has been active. She also highlighted the 50th anniversary of the Barcelona Convention in 2025: “Now we have to focus on the implementation of the strategy” she said, which is why MedCities is here, to convey the voice of local Mediterranean authorities.

As members of the Steering Committee of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development, MedCities contributed to the thematic discussion on the outcomes of the final evaluation of the current 2016-25 period, on the 1st draft of the updated 2026-35 MSSD, including its flagship initiatives that will be enlarged with 10 more projects from which MedCities will be part of, as the association already do. For instance, to help cities plan and manage their sustainable resources, MedCities Secretary General, Josep Canals, proposed the creation of a Mediterranean Network of Zero Net Cities as a new flagship led by MedCities, as MedUrbalTools or the Istanbul Environmental Friendly Award are already.

During the second day of the meeting, Canals contributed to the collaborative work of revising the Mediterranean Strategy of Sustainable Development by adding a specific strategic direction to improve capacities and awareness of cities and local authorities to achieve the agendas. That point includes improvements in generic aspects and strategic guidelines that update the document and extend its validity until 2035, putting the focus on and advocating for the role and power of cities.

The Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development document will be now sent to the members of the Commission for final validation before it is sent to the parties (Member States and the EU) for approval, if appropriate, at the COP24 of the UNEP in Egypt.  

This meeting, celebrated on the 12 and 13 February in Istanbul, brought the Secretary General to Turkey where he took the opportunity to visit Izmir, a member city, and exchange with the new Mayor of the metropolitan city, Mr.Cemil Tugay. The city is one of the pioneers of MedCities network and an indispensable one that we will continue working together with. They both talked about ongoing and future projects that could help the municipality and metropolitan area achieve the 2030 agenda and their main challenges in terms of climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Key moments and important dates:

The 23rd meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols (COP23) of 5-8 December 2023, Portoroz, Slovenia, mandated the Secretariat to update the 2016-2025 Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) to effectively implement the Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development and its SDGs at the regional level, seeking to amend current unsustainable trajectories and place the region on alternative pathways to sustainability and resilience, thus accelerating the progress towards achieving Good Environmental Status.

Previous participation of MedCities at the MSSD in 2021, 2021 mid-term evaluation, 2023.

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