Strategic Partnership For The Mediterranean

Brief overview of the Regional Component of the project and the current

status of its implementation

The long-term goal of the Strategic Partnership (SP), with its two components the Investment Fund and Regional Component is

a) to facilitate countries for the full implementation of the SAPs and NAPs thus reducing pollution from land-based sources and preserving the biodiversity and ecosystems of the Mediterranean from degradation, in line with MDG/WSSD Environmental targets,

b) the leveraging of long-term financing, and c) to ensure through the Barcelona Convention and MAP

systems the sustainability of activities initiated within the project beyond its specific lifetime.

Complements numerous programmes including the EC Horizon 2020 Initiative, “Sustainable MED”, Union for the Mediterranean,

Adriatic Sea Environment Programme (ASEP)

The objective of the Mediterranean Sea LME Strategic Partnership is to leverage reforms and catalyze

investments that address transboundary pollution reduction and marine and coastal biodiversity conservation priorities

identified in the SAPs for the Mediterranean basin.

Strategic Partnership for the Mediterranean LME

Investment FundWorld Bank

Investment projects, demonstrations

Regional ProjectUNEP/MAP, FAO, UNIDO

and co-executing agenciesReforms,

capacity buildingReplication mechanisms

Investment Fund Sub-ProjectsProvisional list to include:

Bosnia & Herzegovina and Croatia: Neretva and Trebisnjica River Basin

Management Project;Egypt: Alexandria Integrated Coastal

Zone Management Project

Implementation ofSAP/MED and SAP/BIO and their NAPs

in participating countries

Component 1. Integrated Approaches for the Implementation of the SAPs and NAPs: ICZM, IWRM

and Management of Coastal AquifersComponent 2. Pollution from Land-based activities,

including POPs: Implementation of SAPMED and related NAPs

Component 3. Conservation of Biological Diversity: Implementation of SAP-BIO and related NAPs

Component 4. Project Coordination, Communication and Replication Strategies, Management, and M&E

SP Project Management and Co-ordinationCo-ordination Group and Steering Committee

Now expanded into the “Sustainable Med” programme’s Investment fund projects (aprox. 75 M US$ GEF)

The objective of the proposed Investment Fund is to accelerate the implementation of transboundary pollution

reduction and biodiversity conservation measures in priority hotspots and sensitive areas of selected countries of the

Mediterranean basin that would help achieve the SAP MED and SAP BIO targets

12.9 M US$ plus 36.5 M US$ co-financing, 5 year duration

The objective of the proposed UNEP Regional Component is to promote and induce harmonized policy, legal and

institutional reforms and fill the knowledge gap aimed at reversing marine and coastal degradation trends and living resources depletion, in accordance with priorities agreed by the countries in the SAP MED and SAP BIO, and to prepare

the ground for the future implementation of the ICZM Protocol.

Overall Impacts (Regional Component)Overall Impacts (Regional Component)1. Legal, policy and institutional reforms, on a national

and regional level: A minimum of 20 national/sub-regional policy documents; No of Regional legislation documents adopted; new tools, techniques and guidelines;

2. 32 demonstration/pilot projects will be implemented resulting in overall decrease in stress reduction to the Mediterranean LME: A minimum of 15% of the 75 hotspots will be directly improved;

3. Stakeholder participation: NGO Involvement Plan, coordination amounst stakeholders, Country support programme;

4. Replication, communication and sustainable financing mechanism: 10% of the demonstration/pilot projects will be replicated during the life-span of the project;

Component 3Conservation of Biological Diversity: Implementation of SAP-BIO and related NAPs

3.1.Conservation of Coastal Marine Diversity through the development of a Mediterranean MPA Network

3.2. Promote the sustainable use of fisheries resources in the Mediterranean through the development and application of Ecosystem-based Management Approaches

Component 2Pollution from Land-based activities including POPs: Implementation ofSAPMED and related NAPs

2.1 Facilitation of policy and legislation reforms for pollution control

2.2 Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technology (TEST-MED)

2.3. Environmentally sound management of equipment, stocks and wastes containing or contaminated by PCBs in national electricity companies of Mediterranean countries

Component 1Integrated Approaches for the Implementation of the SAPs and NAPs: ICZM, IWRM and Management of Coastal Aquifers1.1 Management of coastal Aquifers1.2. Integrated Coastal Zone Management1.3. Integrated Water resource Management

Component 4Project Coordination, Replication and Communication strategies, and Management and M&E

4.1. Project Coordination, Management and M&E(sus financing)

4.2 Information and Communication Strategies

4.3. Replication Strategy

SAPMED SAPBIO

I nadequate coastal zone, water and aquifer management – regional project

F inancing and Investments developed for 15 shared water bodies(IW R M ) and IC Z M projects

300 hectares of wetland managed (T unisia and

C roatia)

45,000 hectares of coastal zone

managed through IC Z M and IW R M (M ontenegro and

L ebanon)

10,000,000 m3 of water saved through wastewater treatment and re-use

3 regional and several national legal and policy documents: IC Z M , IW R M and aquifers

T ools, guidelines demonstrated (i.e. C O E D , S E A , the IC A R M approach)

20,000 hectares of land demonstrate management of aquifers (A lgeria, M orocco, T unisia, L ebanon, S yria, C roatia and M ontenegro)

Pollution from land-based sources, including PO Ps – regional project

50% reduction in C d, Hg and Pb from

phosphogypsum(Lebanon)

50% lead batteries recycled (Syria)

Transfer of Environmentally sound technology: 30% reduction in BOD and 50% in heavy metals (8 demonstration

enterprises in Tunisia, M orocco, Lebanon, Egypt

50% reduction C r, BOD and total nitrogen from

tannery effluents (Turkey)

50% lubricating oil recycled

(A lgeria)

870 tones of PC B’ s removed and disposed in 5 countries (Lebanon, A lbania, Egypt, L ibya and Syria)

C onservation of biological diversity – regional project

2 MPAs (covering approx 12,100 ha.)

managed appropriately (Turkey and

Algeria)

Area under protection to be increased by

17%, from 9,732,600 ha. to 11,412,600 ha.

By catch of iconic and vulnerable

species reduced by 75% (Morocco and

Turkey)

Unsustainable fishing practices reduced by a minimum of 90% at regionally prioritized sites covering 30,000 ha. (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt,

Libya, Turkey, Croatia, Algeria)

MPA coordination, tools and guidelines

and monitoring framework in place

National legal and policy MPA documents drafted for all

countries; and 4 sub-regional policy and management reforms

drafted (related to EAF)

Status of the project

1. Project endorsed in by GEF April 9th 2008 and Internal Cooperation agreement (ICA) signed the 13 October 2008.

2. Project Management Unit recruited: Coastal and Marine Expert (Virginie Hart) on 1 May: Administrative Officer (Giorgos Petridis) on 22 June and Project Manager (Ivica Trumbic) on 1 August 2009

3. WWF legal agreement signed on 14 April 2009

4. Legal agreements with 10 partners for project execution developed and agreed with partners and UNEP/MAP and UNEP administration and legal dept

Brief overview of activities so far

1. GEF and MAP Focal Points all informed on status of the project and requested to confirm project focal points;

2. Set-up of administrative procedures, financial reporting etc between UNEP/MAP, UNEP DEPI, UNEP DGEF and partners: complex project with several sources of funding (GEF, EC, AECID, FFEM, MAVA, etc);

3. Developed templates for the Inception report, and Monitoring and reporting procedures;

4. Monitoring and Evaluation: Completion 1st Project Implementation Review (PIR) – July 2009

Regional and International meetings1. Horizon 2020 to agree on synergies and joint planning

with the GEF project (28-29 May 2009)2. IOC-IUCN-NOAA Large Marine Ecosystem, 11th

Consultative Committee Meeting. IOC-UNESCO, Paris, FRANCE (9-10 July 2009)

3. UNEP/MAP Focal Point meeting 7-8 July 2009, Athens4. MCSD, Cairo (28-30 Sept), and additional session of

the MAP FP’s (1 Oct) Upcoming meetings:5. Barcelona Convention CoP (3-5 Nov)6. 5th GEF Biennial International Waters Conference,

Cairns, Australia, (26-29 October 2009)7. 1st Steering Committee meeting of the Strategic

Partnership, (2-3 December 2009), Montenegro