Egypt Concludes the 24th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (COP24)
Dr. Manal Awad announces that Egypt will assume the Presidency of the Executive Bureau of the Barcelona Convention, in addition to chairing the Convention for two years
Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment: Egypt successfully concludes COP24 with the adoption of key decisions
Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment, announced that Egypt has assumed the Presidency of the Executive Bureau of the Barcelona Convention for a two-year term. The announcement was made during the closing session of the 24th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (COP24), hosted by Egypt from 2 to 5 December in Cairo, with the participation of 21 Mediterranean countries that are Parties to the Convention.
Dr. Awad affirmed that the conference’s closing session was rich with important decisions that were adopted, including the reference criteria for the Regional Activity Centre on Climate Change, which is planned to be hosted in Türkiye; the approval of support for Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance; and the endorsement of biodiversity strategies.
She explained that the Parties also adopted implementation decisions concerning the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Action Plans for the Mediterranean. In addition, the report submitted by the Secretariat on the previous two years was approved, along with the Programme of Work for 2026–2027 and the budget allocated for activities during the period, during which Egypt will preside over the Convention.
Dr. Awad added that the Parties further adopted decisions related to the prevention of marine pollution from ships, as well as technical reports (MedECC) linking environmental issues related to climate change, water, food, energy, and Mediterranean ecosystems. She noted that the closing session also included decisions regarding the operational criteria of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) for 2026–2035, the updated reporting format for pollution from land-based sources, and the adoption of the Roadmap for the ecosystem-based monitoring approach for the period 2026–2035.
Dr. Awad further stated that the final report on the national reporting submitted by the Contracting Parties was adopted, in addition to the criteria for the Compliance Committee, which Egypt had the honour of chairing for two consecutive years. The closing session also witnessed the announcement that Croatia will host the 25th Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (COP25) in December 2027.
