The 24th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols (COP24) will be held today, Tuesday, and will be hosted by Egypt starting December 2–5, 2025.
The meeting will be attended by Ms. Tatiana Hema is the coordinator of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), Mr. Mitja Bricelj, the current President of the Conference and representative of Slovenia, along with several environment ministers and representatives from the 21 Mediterranean countries that are parties to the Barcelona Convention, as well as representatives from UNEP.
Dr. Manal Awad, Egyptian Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment, affirmed that the meeting aims to review the progress achieved during 2024–2025 within the framework of the Mediterranean Action Plan of the Barcelona Convention. It will also adopt decisions on several key issues, including the work program and budget for the period 2026–2027.
Dr. Awad explained that the conference will open on December 2 with an informal meeting of the heads of participating delegations, followed by the opening session. The program will feature the handover ceremony of the conference presidency from Slovenia to Egypt. A high-level session titled “A Sustainable Blue Economy for a Resilient and Healthy Mediterranean” is scheduled for December 4, 2025.
She added that the conference activities will include the presentation of a report on the activities completed under UNEP/MAP since COP23. The UNEP/MAP Coordinator will present the proposed work program and budget for 2026–2027, along with updates introduced following the discussions of the MAP Coordination Group held in Greece from September 16–19, 2025.
Dr. Awad also noted that the UNEP Office Director and MAP Coordinator will announce the Mediterranean coastal city that has won the fifth edition of the Istanbul Eco-City Award. In addition, ministers and heads of delegations will discuss the Cairo Ministerial Declaration—presented by Egypt as the host country—in preparation for its adoption. The conference’s final report will be released on the last day.
COP24 will highlight the sustainable blue economy as a key driver of a just transition toward a resource-efficient, low-carbon, and circular economy, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. The Conference of the Parties is expected to adopt the updated Mediterranean Sustainable Development Strategy 2026–2035, the Regional Framework for Adaptation to Climate Change 2026–2035, and the revised Eco-Approach Policy and Roadmap for the Mediterranean Region.
Source: Egypt Today
