The 7th Forum Mondial de la Mer-Bizerte took place in Bizerte, hosting the Second BlueMissionMed Annual Event, a project MedCities is a partner from, and attracting outstanding engagement with around 100 in-presence participants and thousands online. The Forum proved to be a pivotal event, uniting over seventy experts, policymakers, and representatives from international organizations to address the Mediterranean’s most pressing environmental issues and to achieve the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and waters by 2030” objectives in the basin.

MedCities Secretary-General opened the session What are the challenges and solutions for restoring biodiversity and tackling pollution in the Mediterranean? His intervention provided an overview of Mediterranean pollution and the connection with coastal cities and focused on the triple global crisis:climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and the need to tackle them in an integrative way.

Canals further underlined that “the global protection from oceans and seas has to start also from the cities; we need the strong commitment of local authorities in this challenge that need to have voice, tools and competences to put measures in practice”.

MedCities focused the intervention on coastal cities’ challenges to reduce marine pollution including waste prevention and management, sanitation, beach management …, and the need to face the triple crisis by improving resilience to climate change through, for instance, the improvement of the biodiversity in the city.

The Forum de la Mer de Bizerte also allowed MedCities to exchange visions with other stakeholders working on the protection of the oceans and seas. We could explain how we are committed to it working and collaborating in several projects and contributing to global efforts as, for instance, the “Ocean Cities Network” or the support given to the “Local and Subnational Governments Coalition to End Plastic Pollution”. In addition, our participation in the “Oceans & Climate Platform” is linked to coastal resilience.

MedCities is also supporting the EU Mission Ocean and Waters through the BlueMissionMed project, engaging member cities and giving visibility to the Charter.

The European Union  EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and waters by 2030”, plays a central role in this process, as highlighted by Elisabetta Balzi (Head of Unit “Ocean, Seas and Waters”, European Commission). Projects such as BlueMissionMed endorse this common goal by connecting and empowering stakeholders in the Mediterranean, as explained by the BlueMissionMed project manager Fedra Francocci.

The announcement of the European Pact for the Ocean was a key highlight of the Forum, to align Mediterranean conservation efforts with the broader European marine protection agenda, offering a unified response to the environmental crisis.

In that sense, the General Assembly of the BlueMissionMed project partners was held in conjunction with the 7th Edition of the Forum Mondial de la Mer – Bizerte and it was celebrated to assess progress, exchange results, and define key actions and expected outcomes in our ongoing mission to improve the Mediterranean’s marine environment. MedCities participated online.

BlueMissionMed is committed to maximizing engagement from a broad range of stakeholders, continuously striving to bring together experts, policymakers, and the public in meaningful dialogue. Events like the Forum Mondial de la Mer provide a unique platform to not only raise awareness but also to foster collaboration across the Mediterranean. These gatherings are invaluable opportunities for participants to contribute to the Mission of restoring and protecting our water ecosystems, making them essential for sharing knowledge, and driving forward a collective effort, but also to build a strong, unified front to achieve the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030.

More information in BlueMissionMed website

You can also visit La Saison Bleu website