Stimulating and sustaining a transition to green and circular economies requires effective policy at the global, regional and national level. MedWaves hosts a Policy Hub as a way to offer support to policy makers through capacity building and awareness raising. MedWaves establishes a bridge between policy and programmes, ensuring that policy can be informed by actual challenges and successes encountered on the ground. The uptake of project results at the policy level is essential in order to identify successful practices, ensure subsequent promotion, foster replication and mainstream successful public policies at different levels.

As the host of the Centre of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, MedWaves provides essential support for global policy makers through raising awareness of emerging issues related to toxic chemicals management. MedWaves dedicates a particular focus on plastic additives and related challenges for the implementation of a safe circular economy.

MedWaves supports sustainable consumption and production (SCP), essential in the reduction of the impact of human activity on the coastal and marine environment of the Mediterranean. MedWaves provides direct support to regional policy makers as the host of the Regional Centre of the Barcelona Convention. One of the main activities undertaken by the centre is the broad review and analysis of trends in the Mediterranean region that feed into the development of regional guidelines and recommendations for the implementation of policy related to SCP, circular economy, plastic pollution and toxic chemicals prevention. The MedWaves Policy Hub draws together policy makers throughout the Mediterranean, facilitating the ability to work together and to exchange experiences.

MedWaves successfully developed a Regional Action Plan on SCP that has been adopted by Contracting Parties. In addition, MedWaves has been instrumental in the adoption of a set of Regional Measures that support the development of green and circular businesses. Under the Barcelona Convention Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management, MedWaves contributes to the development of measures related to marine litter and the prevention of plastic pollution.

At the national level, MedWaves delivers training and technical assistance to countries, supporting the development of policy measures that help achieve the global and regional commitments under the Stockholm and Barcelona Conventions.