Between interventions, meetings and conferences, the program of the week was busy for the BeMed team during the World Conservation Congress in Marseille.
Back in pictures on these 5 intense days….
Day 1: Friday 3 September
That’s it, after more than a year of waiting, we are finally at the IUCN Congress!
And it starts strong for the team, with the launching event of the plan for an exemplary Mediterranean in 2030 (PAMEx) which quotes BeMed! 8 Mediterranean governments and 5 international organisations were present for the occasion. Reversing the dramatic loss of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea by 2030 through concrete and collective actions is the ambition of PAMEx!
Find the plan :
French: https://www.iucncongress2020.org/sites/www.iucncongress2020.org/files/sessions/uploads/fr_pamex_plan-action.pdf
English : https://www.iucncongress2020.org/sites/www.iucncongress2020.org/files/sessions/uploads/en_pamex_plan-action.pdf
Arabic: https://www.iucncongress2020.org/sites/www.iucncongress2020.org/files/sessions/uploads/ar_pamex_plan-action.pdf
Day 2: Saturday 4 September post twitter
And it continues for BeMed with an intervention at the “Mediterranean solution” stand alongside the Région Sud , the Generalitat of Catalunya and many other Mediterranean organisations. A little appetizer with a complete presentation of BeMed’s activities: project support, network animation and Business College.
The exchanges also allowed the sharing of tools such as the “Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecards” which allow to compare packaging options according to their impacts on the environment and human health.
Find the tool online for free https://upscorecard.org/
Day 3: Sunday 5 September
Day of reunion with the teams of Surfrider Foundation Europe, TaraOcean and IUCNMed in a dream setting in the Calanques of Marseille. The first results of the PlastiMed: BeMed project were shared in the presence of Bérangère Abba, Secretary of State for Biodiversity, Claire Pitollat, Member of Parliament for Bouches du Rhône and Catherine Chabaud, Member of the European Parliament. Two members of the College of Companies, L’InterContinental and Vacances Léo Lagrange, also presented their CSR and plastic commitments. An evening under the sign of sharing and multi-actor collaboration!
On this occasion, Prince Albert II of Monaco was keen to encourage the players present for their commitment to the environment.
Some quotes from the evening:
https://www.sudouest.fr/environnement/mediterranee-le-plastique-au-centre-des-attentions-au-congres-de-la-nature-5743591.php
More information on the PlastiMed project: https://www.iucn.org/fr/node/33904
Day 4: Monday 6 September
The islands were the focus of this 4th day of BeMed in Marseille. Particularly vulnerable to environmental pressures, islands are sources of inspiration and good practices to strengthen resilience to climate change and contribute to the global conservation of the planet. An opportunity for BeMed to present its call for projects in the Mediterranean islands and its capitalisation programme.
The session organised by SMILO and GLISPA allowed us to travel around the world, passing through the Bahamas, French Polynesia, Hawaii but also the Golden Islands where the project “Zero-plastic in the Golden Islands and replication in the Mediterranean” supported by BeMed is developed.
Relive the event: https://iucn2021.key4.live/media-403-building-islands-resilience—best-practices-and-innovations-from-around-the-world
Day 5: Tuesday 7 September
Last day in Marseille with 2 interventions. In the morning, alongside ONET, Veolia, Plastic Odyssey and IUCNMed, BeMed presented its Business College as a collective solution to engage the private sector. The session highlighted local, regional and global initiatives presenting concrete actions to address the plastic pollution crisis.
https://iucn2021.key4.live/media-454-from-science-to-action-innovative-solutions-to-tackle-ocean-plastic-pollution
In the afternoon, BeMed participated in a debate on the benefits of small project calls. The BeMed micro-initiative call, initiated by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, was the youngest programme on the panel. Yet, after 5 years, we can already look back on our impact and say that a lot can be achieved with 10 000€! Next steps: becoming more than a funder: becoming and animating a community!
https://www.facebook.com/IUCNMed/videos/174986591441490 5:56:30
Day 6: Thursday 9 September
The week ends with a webinar on experience sharing between BeMed island projects and private sector actors. The programme was built around three priorities: waste treatment, regulation in the islands, reuse and finding alternatives to plastic.
Many inspiring good practices were exchanged such as a guide to accompany cruise passengers in the reduction of their waste written by Isotechltd, a rating tool for alternatives to plastic created by Ibiza Preservation, the SCPRAC presented regional guides to accompany the actors on the ground, the Royal Albania Foundation tax reductions to engage the private sector , and many others!
The watchword: collaborate to strengthen the impact of projects and move forward by using what others have already done!
Stay tuned: sign up to receive all the info and tools shared with the BeMed Islands community: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/13G5Agg5awYoFjs9JvnYpD9DVVOx9guVnzWiItHFfvao/viewform?edit_requested=true
Find the session: https://fb.watch/7WNjEd_Nat/
