Each new year invites reflection; a time to look back and forward as an exercise to refresh focus and commitment. It is clear that 2025 is no ordinary year. As the International Year of Cooperatives , this is a year for collective and concerted action as we celebrate and recognise the 10th anniversary of the COP21 Paris Agreement on Climate Change and  the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on Women’s Rights, and the 50th anniversary of the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution (Barcelona Convention). These are all important signals to direct our efforts towards the agreed global goals by drawing on the power of our inclusive collective.

We look to the future, measuring each step towards the targets we hope to reach, understanding that reaching our horizon requires our ability to adapt, innovate and remain resilient.

Global decision makers and government representatives, along with the business sectors and civil society gathered in each corner of the globe over the course of 2024. From the humid city of Cali to seek implementation inroads for biodiversity goals to eastern European Baku to promote financial responsibilities to carry out climate promises, to the mountains in Busan to determine the extent of a future plastic treaty and eventually to the edges of the desert of Riyadh to seek solutions for land. Expectations repeatedly have fallen short for the level of ambition and change required to meet the already agreed global goals. However, what has been revealed are the meaningful experiences taking place at the regional and local levels. 

As a regional activity centre supporting transformation through the promotion of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) activities, MedWaves is in a unique and privileged position to be able to engage with, and respond to, this global narrative. The role of serving both the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), demands maintaining an awareness of how the regional activities are part of the global agenda for sustainable development. MedWaves programming demonstrates the aspiration of global goals through specific regional activities while also providing critical keys to a bank of information to help shape the global dialogue.

MedWaves offers both action and experience to a collective effort to move towards a just, circular transition to a sustainable future. Representing one region of the world, we hold both hope and power to evolve into a world we all want, leaving no one behind. This year, MedWaves will focus on innovative opportunities to demonstrate how it is possible to confront global challenges with regional activities, highlighting how the operationalisation of circular business and eco design mitigates climate change impacts. 

Across MedWaves programming that supports the Barcelona Convention and the Stockholm Convention, and operating under the umbrella of the Spanish and the Catalan government, our main themes for 2025 are: 

• ~Grow from What We Know~ Trust is important, not only in the activities of MedWaves but throughout the global experience. At the core of the multiple crises existing simultaneously is a deficit of trust. We hope to help rebuild trust through transparency; sharing the context and evolution of ideas or programmes, celebrating our regional experience and offering it to the global experience. 

• ~We Are The Wave ~ People are the heart of transition. There is dignity in supporting people to speak for themselves. We hope to expand how we engage and bring forward the voices that are part of our region and our global community. Each of our own individual stories has the power to help raise awareness and capacity. 

• ~When We Act Together, We Grow Together~ Finally, over the course of the year we will be focusing on the value of converging the collective: bringing people together into spaces (online and in person) to exchange ideas, experiences and share knowledge. 

Much like the Mediterranean region itself, MedWaves bridges different sectors and links Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. Our diversity is our power, converging synergies for the planet. Every stakeholder has a role to play in a collective transformational change towards sustainability. MedWaves offers support to each valued member of society, from supporting policy solutions and decision makers, to assisting entrepreneurs create new business models and green jobs. All citizens who want to unite for the planet find support at MedWaves. The hub is a meeting place for all stakeholders, from public to private, and a platform to create collective solutions. 

Over the last decade, the centre has established a successful hub of expertise to serve all stakeholders, recognising that each actor is critical in the collective movement towards sustainability. However, our centre’s history is part of a much larger lineage, reaching back over the last 50 years since the establishment of the UNEP/MAP Barcelona Convention. 

On 28 January, MedWaves chaired in the online 2nd meeting of the Working Group on Circular Economy for the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) Review. Among the topics considered by all participants was the key aspect of circulatory as an evolving concept, and a cross-cutting theme across sustainable blue and green economies. This is true for the world of sustainable development, and particularly so for the advancement and progress of the MSSD.

One of the main outcomes of this meeting was the shared vision that by fostering sustainable consumption and production patterns across key economic sectors the Mediterranean as a whole is moving towards the development of non-pollutant, circular, and socially inclusive economies. Other relevant considerations were made, such as the value of education to help build awareness about the benefits of circularity practices to foster low-carbon economies, as well as informing consumer’s awareness in market cities on the importance of circularity. 

From 12 to 13 February, representatives of MedWaves attended the Thematic Ad Hoc Meeting of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) in Istanbul, Türkiye. In line with the 2024-2025 MAP Programme of Work and Budget as adopted by COP23, Portoroz, Slovenia, 2023, this meeting of the MCSD maximises inclusion and active contribution to the update process of the 2016-2025 Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD).

On 19 February, MedWaves Director Jesús Maestro attended the 17th UfM Regional Platform on Sustainable Blue Economy hosted by the Union for the Mediterranean. The event brought together countries, observers, and leading experts to advance the Roadmap for implementing the 2021 UfM Ministerial Declaration. He highlighted the UNEP/MAP System’s commitment and efforts in promoting a sustainable blue economy, such as:

• the ambitious Ministerial Declaration adopted during COP23 of the Barcelona Convention to further accelerate the green transition in the Mediterranean, underscoring that a sustainable blue economy is key to addressing climate change and pollution.

• The UNEP/MAP 2021-2027 Mid-Term Strategy thematic priority on the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources, focusing on integrating a circular approach and measures into Blue Economy sectors, including: shipping, oil and gas offshore activities, marine renewable energies, aquaculture, sustainable tourism.

• The MSSD review prioritises the sustainable blue economy, particularly to advance the shift towards sustainable circular business models and strengthen regional flagship initiatives in key Blue Economy sectors, such as coastal and marine tourism while leveraging multiple regional projects.

Explore the mission of MedWaves through our cross-cutting and complementary strategies based on: Policy; Eco Innovation & Sustainable Businesses Models; Sustainable Finance; Sustainable Consumption; and Dialogue and Networking. Learn more about the work we do and sign up for our newsletter! 

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Cover photo by Joshua Kettle on Unsplash