Press Conference on the MedPartnership's achievements for 2010

The UNEP/MAP GEF Strategic Partnership for the Mediterranean Large Marine Ecosystem (MedPartnership) is a collective effort of countries and leading organizations (regional, international, non governmental, etc.) sharing the Mediterranean Sea towards the protection of the marine and coastal environment of the Mediterranean. The MedPartnership is being executed by the United Nations Environment Programme/Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) and the World Bank, and is financially supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other donors, including the EU, and all participating countries.

The MedPartnership's overarching goal is to enable a coordinated and strategic approach to catalyze the policy, legal and institutional reforms, and the investments necessary to reverse the degradation trends affecting the Mediterranean, including its coastal habitats and biodiversity. The total value of MedPartnership, including financial participation in investment projects, is more than 100 million US dollars. The project started in 2009 and will be completed in 2014. The Project Management Unit is located in Athens, Greece, while more than 40 demonstration projects are being carried out in 13 southern and eastern countries of the Mediterranean Region.

On the occasion of its Second Steering Committee Meeting, the MedPartnership will hold a press conference on March 16, 2011 at 16:00 in Damascus, Syria (Hotel Cham Palace) to present the project's overall progress and achievements for 2010. Special attention to the activities in Syria will be given.

The Minister of State for Environmental Affairs of Syria, Ms. Kawkab al-Sabah Dayeh will introduce the press conference together with UNEP/MAP's coordinator Ms. Maria Luisa Silva Mejias, Mr. Ivan Zavadsky, Senior Advisor for the Global Environment Facility and the Project Manager for the MedPartnership Mr. Ivica Trumbic.

All panelists will make a short introduction before the presentation of two topics with a focus on Syria. The first "Shaping the future of the Mediterranean Coasts: Celebrating the ICZM Protocol" will examine the applications of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Protocol ratified by Syria in November 2010. In brief, the ICZM Protocol is a unique legal instrument for sustainable coastal development providing an effective way to ensure that human actions are undertaken with a concern for balancing economic, social and environmental goals and priorities in a long-term perspective. The second issue to be presented and discussed refers to Syria's National Action Plan for land based sources of pollution and relevant demonstration projects within the framework of the MedPartnership. Ultimately, a press conference will follow to showcase the progress and achievements of the MedPartnership for 2010.