MSSD

Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development,
A Framework for Environmental Sustainability and Shared Prosperity

At the 12th Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (Monaco, November 2001) the 21 Mediterranean rim countries and the European Community decided to prepare a “Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development”. They requested the Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development (MCSD) of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) to develop a draft. The 2nd Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on the Environment (Athens, July 2002) endorsed this initiative, subsequently announced at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, September 2002), acknowledging that the MCSD was the appropriate framework for its formulation.

Sustainable development is a global objective that aims to respond to the needs of current generations without compromising the abilities of future generations to meet their own needs.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), approved by 189 countries in September 2000 (See the declaration), and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, adopted in 2002 by the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), emphasize the urgent need for greater commitment to reduce inequalities and assist in the development of poor countries.

The Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) has developed the so called “Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development” (MSSD), which offers an excellent opportunity for the Mediterranean partners to make substantial advances towards sustainable development, based on genuine partnership and co-development.

The Strategy is structured around four objectives and seven interlinked priority fields action. Thirty-four indicators are identified to enable the follow-up of the Strategy. The Strategy will be reviewed by MCSD every two years, and revised every five years. The objectives and priorities listed below were adopted in November 2005 during "the 14th Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols" in Portoroz (Slovenia).

The underlying principle of the Mediterranean Strategy is that sustainability has to be based on the interdependence of its three pillars: economic development, social equity and environmental protection, as well as on an improved governance.

The Strategy is based on a long-term vision of a "sustainable" Mediterranean that is politically stable, prosperous and peaceful.

 The four main objectives are:

i) Contribute to economic development by enhancing Mediterranean assets

ii) Reduce social disparities by implementing the UN Millenium Development Goals and strengthening cultural identities

iii) Change unsustainable production and consumption patterns and ensure the sustainable management of natural resources

iv) Improve governance at the local, national, and regional levels.

Seven interdependent priority fields of action and synergy are indetified below in which it is essential to make real progress:

• better management of water resources and demand;
• improved rational use of energy, increased renewable energy use and mitigation of and
adaptation to climate change;
• sustainable mobility through appropriate transport management;
• sustainable tourism as a leading economic sector;
• sustainable agriculture and rural development;
• sustainable urban development; and
• sustainable management of the sea, coastal areas and marine resources.

Reference: MSSD & Blue Plan

	Stratégie méditérranéenne pour le dévéloppement durable (rapport NU)
	Indicators list for the MSSD follow-up
	List of MCSD Members 37 members , representing each of the 22 Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, as well as 15 rotating representatives from wider society: 5 from local authorities, 5 from the business community and 5 from NGOs
	MSSD Priority Field of Action for water resources One of the seven priority fields of action is: Improving integrated water resource and water demand management
	MSSD website
	Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development: A Framework for Environmental Sustainability and Shared Prosperit; ( 14th Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols, UNEP/MAP, Athens, 2005)
	Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (UN report)
	Power Point Presentations available from the Conference: Managing Water Resources towards 2015, Copenhagen 13th April 2007 The Philippine Integrated Water Resources Management Framework: "Working together to Secure Sustainable Water for All" By Ramon B. Alikpala, Executive Director, Water Resources Management Board, Philippines      IWRM experiences and the MGD's in Uganda By Callist Tindimugaya, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda      Regional Cooperation & IWRM in the Caribbean (3MB !) By Vincent Sweeney, Regional Project Coordinator, UNEP-GEF/IWCAM      The Roadmap for Implementing IWRM, By Niels Ipsen, Director, UNEP Collaborating Centre on Water and Environment      Water Management and Service Delivery, By Vahid Alavian, Water Advisor, World Bank      Report from the Pre-meeting, By Mohamed Ait Kadi, Chairman, General Council of Agricultural Development, Morocco
	Report, Portoroz (Slovenia), 8-11 November 2005 Report of the 14th Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols
	Synergy between objectives & priority field of action Synergy between objectives & priority field of action (Water) - Implementation actions
	Water and Millennium Development Goals Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
	Water priority indicators for MSSD follow-up