April 2008 nthly e-newslett A mo er by U NEP/M IN THIS ISSUE: AP UNEP NEWS Disposal of garbage into the Mediterranean from Scheme to save water is unveiled ships is prohibited from 1st May 2009 Greek Minister of the Environment, Planning, and Public Works The Marine Environment Protection (MEPC) of the Giorgos Soufl ias presented a national plan to manage Greece’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) at its 57th water resources so that no island or area of the mainland will be UNEP appoints new Director of the Division for Session, has adopted an MEPC resolution establishing the date left without access to water in the future. Communication and Public Information on which the MARPOL Annex V special area regulations shall Mr. Satinder Bindra (India/Canada) was appointed as the new take eff ect in the Mediterranean Sea. EU initiatives on tourism in the Mediterranean Director of the Division for Communication and Public Information at UNEP, Nairobi. region Strategic Partnership UNEP/MAP – World Bank Dr. Joe Borg, Member of the European Commission responsible $250 MILLION TO DEPOLLUTE THE MEDITERRANEAN for Fisheries and Maritime Aff airs, tackled the issue of EU initia- A Strategic Partnership for the Mediterranean Large Marine tives on tourism in the Mediterranean region at the Euro-Med MAP COMPONENTS Ecosystem between the Mediterranean Action Plan of UNEP Ministerial Conference on Tourism (Fez, Morocco, 3 April) (UNEP/MAP) and the World Bank for the de-pollution of the and BARCELONA CONVENTION Mediterranean Sea, has been endorsed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). List of Natura 2000 protected sites updated With the adoption on 28 March of the updated list of Natura Greek student wins UNEP European prize for glo- 2000 protected areas in the Mediterranean region, a total of bal painting competition 18,784 square kilometres (489 new sites) have been added ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS to the European network of protected sites since 1 January. A Greek student from Lesbos is the 2008 winner of the Natura 2000 now covers nearly 20% of the continent’s landmass seventeenth International Children’s Painting Competition on and 100,000 km2 of its seas. the Environment organized by UNEP Biodiversity: Human activity serious threat to Union for the Mediterranean : EIB and Commis- Mediterranean region Spain gets new environment minister sion present projects for Mediterranean Union Out of the 25,000 known Mediterranean plant species (9.2% of Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has re- placed Spanish environment minister Cristina Narbona as part French plan to forge closer political ties with Europe’s North the world’s identifi ed species on a territory representing just of a reshuffl e following confi rmation of his own re-election as African and Middle East neighbors on the Mediterranean Sea 1.5% of the planet’s surface), half are particularly well adapted Spanish prime minister last Friday. was announced in March in Brussels. notably to dry periods and are not found anywhere else in the world (endemic species). INDEX UNEP NEWS UNEP NEWS UNEP APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR OF THE the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), A selection of winning paintings will be shown in DIVISION FOR COMMUNICATION AND the Japan-based Foundation for Global Peace and exhibitions in Wellington. They will also be exhibited on Environment (FGPE), Bayer and Nikon. The painting the Internet and used for posters, postcards, calendars UNEP appoints PUBLIC INFORMATION and in publications by UNEP, the Foundation for Global new Director of Mr. Satinder Bindra (India/ Peace and Environment, Bayer and Nikon. Eventually all the Division for Canada) was appointed as the paintings submitted to the global competition will be Communication and new Director of the Division stored at the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, for Communication and Public Public Information Japan. Information at UNEP, Nairobi. The International Children’s Painting Competition Bindra has had a distinguished MAP on the Environment is part of UNEP’s TUNZA strategy career in the fi eld of media and for children and youth. TUNZA is a word in Kiswahili COMPONENTS communication, including the that means to “treat with care”. The programme aims and BARCELONA electronic and print media. to provide young people with information and tools on Until recently, he was the CNN CONVENTION how to “treat Mother Earth with care” and how to act for Bureau Chief for South Asia and Senior International a better world. Greek student wins Correspondent based in New Delhi, India. One of his unep european prize main assignments included the 2004/2005 Tsunami competition has been held since 1990 and in that time for global painting disaster, for which he and his team received the UNION FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN : EIB has received over 200,000 entries from children in over competition DuPont Award. Mr. Bindra also drew to world attention AND COMMISSION PRESENT PROJECTS FOR 100 countries. a number of other environmental issues and stories This year’s competition theme was Climate Change: MEDITERRANEAN UNION Union for the during his more than seven years with CNN - ranging Actions you can take now. Children aged 6 to14 were Mediterranean : EIB from melting glaciers to rain-water harvesting. invited to express through painting actions they can French plan to forge closer and Commission Mr. Bindra will formally join UNEP by the end of May take to reduce the impact of climate change such as political ties with Europe’s present projects for 2008. North African and Middle Mediterranean Union East neighbors on the MAP COMPONENTS and Mediterranean Sea was announced in March in Brussels, at the end of the fi rst BARCELONA CONVENTION day of a two-day EU summit, but the specifi c details of the plan will still have to be worked out and launched GREEK STUDENT WINS UNEP EUROPEAN at the summit of the Union for the Mediterranean (UM), PRIZE FOR GLOBAL PAINTING COMPETITION to be held in Paris on 13 July, which would make it the highlight of France’s turn at the helm of the six-month, A Greek student from Lesbos is the rotating EU presidency, offi cials said. 2008 winner of the seventeenth The project would involve 39 partners -- the 27- International Children’s Painting nation EU plus a dozen on the Mediterranean’s southern Competition on the Environment shores, from Mauritania to Algeria, Egypt, Israel, the organized by UNEP, the United Palestinian Authority to Syria and Turkey. Nations Environment Programme. The plan outlines the creation of a joint presidency, The 13 years old winner using renewable energy, introducing energy saving with one EU member and one non-EU member state Evdokia Vallis received the 1000US$ light bulbs at home, sharing vehicles and using public assisted by a permanent staff of 20 bureaucrats. Prize from Greek Deputy Minister of Environment transport, planting trees etc. Addressing the pollution of the Mediterranean Sea Physical Planning and Public Works Stavros Kaloyannis The global winners from all regionas of the world will is likely to become one of the key objectives to be and UNEP/MAP Coordinator Paul Mifsud during the be announced on 5 June 2008 at the main international announced during the launch summit of the Union event “Facing a new scenario in the Mediterranean”, celebrations to mark World Environment Day in for the Mediterranean (UM), to be held in Paris on 13 organized in Athens on 16th April. Wellington, New Zealand. July. On 10 April, the European Commission and the This annual competition is jointly organized by European Investment Bank (EIB) presented a series of INDEX MAP COMPONENTS and BARCELONA CONVENTION MAP 44 concrete projects to fi ght the sea’s pollution by 2020 the Mediterranean Sea, on 1st May 2009. Consequently, A grant of $90 million has already been approved COMPONENTS that could be endorsed by the Union Mediterraneenne for all ships, as from 1st May 2009, disposal into the by GEF for the Strategic Partnership that consists of a and BARCELONA (UM). Mediterranean Sea of the following is prohibited: all Regional Component that will be executed by UNEP/ Over the last 30 years MAP, through its MEDPOL plastics, including but not limited to synthetic ropes, MAP and an Investment Fund led by the World Bank. CONVENTION de-pollution Programme, has contributed a great deal synthetic fi shing nets and plastic garbage bags; and all The countries eligible for funding under the towards pollution reduction in the Mediterranean. other garbage, including paper products, rags, glass Partnership include Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Disposal of MEDPOL has reviewed and analysed data and metal, bottles, crockery, dunnage, lining and packing Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, garbage into the information describing the sources and quantities materials. Montenegro, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, all Mediterranean from of pollutants discharged into the Mediterranean Sea The adoption of the resolution follows the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention. The ships is prohibited and the actions needed to reduce and eliminate this notifi cation at the same MEPC session by Albania, Palestinian Authority also participates. from 1st May 2009 pollution. Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, The main objective is to assist these countries in Currently, France is working to identify projects to Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, implementing reforms, agreed interventions and Strategic Partnership give substance to President Nicolas Sarkozy’s initiative. Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey, representing investments for pollution reduction, the safeguarding UNEP/MAP – World The EIB and the Commission are now seizing the States bordering the Mediterranean Sea special area, of biodiversity and to stop habitat degradation as Bank political opportunity of the UM initiative that was that adequate reception facilities for garbage are outlined in the two Strategic Action Plans (SAPs), one $250 MILLION TO endorsed by the spring European Council to raise funds provided in all the relevant ports within the region.