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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 (
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.
