Genoa (Italy) won the fourth edition of the Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award. Promoted by the Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) and funded by the Government of Türkiye, the Istanbul Environment-Friendly City Award was established by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols at COP 19 (Athens, Greece, February 2016) in the context of the implementation of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD).

The Award recognizes and highlights the role and efforts of local authorities of coastal cities in achieving sustainability in the Mediterranean context.

Like for the previous editions, MedCities supported UNEP/MAP with the implementation of the Istanbul award, ensuring dissemination of this key activity among its members, supporting interested cities in their applications, coordinating the assessment work carried out by the experts and ensuring the logistic participation of the winning city in the award ceremony.

The winner of this 2023 edition was announced during the Ministerial Session of the 23rd Meeting (COP 23) of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) on 7 December 2023 in Portoroz, Slovenia.

Mr. Mario Mascia, Councillor of Genoa Municipality for Urban Planning, Maritime State Property, and Economic Development was representing the city at the ceremony and received the award. Mr. Marco Bucci, Mayor of Genoa , said: “This is a great result for Genoa. An award that confirms the great commitment of our city to a prosperous and sustainable future. Learning from the past, studying future scenarios and transforming challenges into opportunities represent the route we follow to become more attractive and sustainable, fostering a better quality of life through protecting and promoting the terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems as a legacy for the people tomorrow“.

MedCities Secretary General Mr. Josep Canals, was at the winner ceremony to support the member city. Both, Genoa Mayor and Secretary General talked about the importance of cities to build and plan their strategies to be greener and to be prepared for future challenges, notably the climate crisis.

Watch the video summary here:

Read more information about the award and the ceremony in UNEP MAP website