In this edition:

1. The 6th AGM of MIO-ECSDE (December 22nd 2002)
2. Mediterranean NGO Declaration for Johannesburg (Nice, 12/01/2002)
3. Various Mediterranean news
4. Some Important up-coming meetings

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1. The 6th AGM of MIO-ECSDE (December 22nd 2002)

The 6th AGM of MIO-ECSDE took place in Cairo, on Saturday 22 December at the Zamalek Marriott Hotel. The assembly was attended by 45 participants from 15 Mediterranean countries, most of which had also attended the meetings co-organised by MIO-ECSDE, RAED and CEDARE on “Effective Water Governance” (19-20/12/01) and “Water Valuing and Poverty” (20-21/12/01).

The new organisations that were approved by the assembly as full members of the Federation are:

- International Centre of Comparative Environmental Law (CRIDEAU), France
- Land and Human to Advocate Progress (LHAP), Jordan
- Etnia – Cultura e Desenvolvimento, Portugal

The new members of the Executive Bureau (EB) were elected and for 2002 the EB will have as:

The MIO-ECSDE Secretariat would like to thank the departing members of the previous EB (Mr. Pepe Abeledo, Ms. Emel Anil, Mr. Musa Riyad and Ms. Sawsan Mehdi) for their valuable contribution to MIO-ECSDE and would also like to wish the new EB a productive and rewarding new term!

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2. Mediterranean NGO Declaration for Johannesburg (Nice, 12/01/2002)

The Comité de Suivi (ENDA Maghreb, EEB, FoE Med Net, Med Forum, MIO-ECSDE, RAED, WWF Med PO) as well as representatives of MedCoast, U Marinu, CARI/CIEPPAD and the Ecological Movement of Slovenia, met in Nice, France, on the 11th and 12th of January 2002 at the invitation of the Municipality of Nice, Comité 21 (Paris) and the Blue Plan. The objective of the meeting was to draft a Declaration on behalf of the Mediterranean NGOs as a contribution to the process leading to the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The French, English and Arabic versions are attached herewith and are also available on the MIO-ECSDE Web-site .

It is a two-page declaration so that it can easily be copied and distributed and you are urged to send us your comments (as it will be finalised at the Antalya NGO meeting in March (see below)) and also distribute it widely. It will help influence key stakeholders who in turn influence national and international processes towards Johannesburg.

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3. Various News

• The conclusions of the Cairo MIO-ECSDE Meetings on “Effective Water Governance” (19-20/12/01) and “Water Valuing and Poverty” (20-21/12/01) are now available on the MIO-ECSDE web site www.mio-ecsde.org

• The Mediterranean present in the EU - Asia meeting over environment!

The first EU-Asia (ASEM) Ministerial Conference on the environment took place in Beijing on 17 January 2002. 25 environmental ministers from the EU's Member States and Asian countries met in China to discuss possible cooperation on a wide range of environmental issues.

At an ASEM EnMM side event on Public Participation MIO-ECSDE was invited to present an overview of the interrelated issues of information dissemination, raising of environmental awareness, environmental education, in the wider sense, and public participation in the Mediterranean region. The Chairman of MIO-ECSDE, prof. M. Scoullos, also explained the not so apparent similarities of the two regions and why the Mediterranean experience can be used as a reference for parallel development.

Climate change was one of the most important topics of the Conference. The EU regards China's decision to host the ASEM meeting as an important step, as this country is the world's second largest CO2 emitter after the United States. The conclusions of this ASEM meeting will also feed into the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

• New "Protocol concerning Co-operation in Preventing Pollution from Ships and, in cases of Emergency, Combating Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea”.

On January 25th in Malta, Ministers and high officials from 20 Mediterranean countries and the European Community (EC) started the process of signing a new “Protocol concerning Co-operation in Preventing Pollution from Ships and, in cases of Emergency, Combating Pollution of the Mediterranean Sea”.

Plenipotentiaries from up to 16 Mediterranean countries and the EC have already signed the Protocol, which is now available for signing by the remaining ones in the depositary country, Spain. This legally binding agreement is the high point of a collective undertaken by these 21 partners of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) aimed at reducing the increasingly dangerous pressures of all sources of pollution in the sea, one of the world’s heaviest shipping routes.

At the signing ceremony, the MAP Co-ordinator, Lucien Chabason, said that “today is a red-letter day, it marks a milestone in the process of co-operation between Mediterranean countries for the protection of their ancient common heritage, the Mediterranean Sea, for the sake of future generations”.

The Protocol, finalised last week in Malta by legal experts from all the MAP partners, will replace the one adopted in 1976, which focused mainly on regional co-operation in the areas of preparedness and response to maritime accidents.

With the new Protocol, which has been agreed to by 20 nations regardless their political differences, Mediterranean countries shall emphasise aspects of prevention such as, per example, port reception facilities and environmental safety of maritime traffic.

They shall also develop their national capacity as regards the implementation of relevant international conventions and to co-operate for their effective implementation.
The new legal instrument is among six Protocols born in the framework of the MAP dealing each of them with specific aspects of pollution in the region.

For further information: Baher Kamal Information Officer, UNEP-Mediterranean Action Plan 48, Vassileos Konstatinou Avenue,11635 Athens Greece. Phone:0030 1072.73.103 Mobile:003 0944.67.68.38

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4. Some Important up-coming meetings

28 Jan – 8 Feb /02, World Summit on Sustainable Development PrepCom 2, UNHQ, New York, USA
19-20 Feb/02, 1st Preparatory Meeting of Experts for the Euro-Med Ministerial Conference on the Environment, Malta - Greece, Malta, Denmark, EC
12 Mar/02, Joint Mediterranean NGO Meeting “the Mediterranean NGO Process: on the road to Rio+10”, Antalya, Turkey - RAED, MIO-ECSDE, MED Forum
13-15 Mar/02, 7th MCSD Meeting, Antalya, Turkey - UNEP/MAP, Turkey
13 March/02, EU Sustainable Development Strategy, Barcelona, Spain - EEB
14 March/02, Common Appeal for an effective EU SDS, Barcelona, Spain - EU Trade Unions, EU Platform of Social NGOs, EEB
15 Mar/02, Common Position of Mediterranean Mayors, Rome, Italy - UTO, MedCities
19-20 Mar/02, GWP-Med Regional Conference on EFFECTIVE WATER GOVERNANCE, Athens, Greece - MIO-ECSDE
20-22 Mar/02, Small Wastewater Technologies and Management for the Mediterranean Area, Seville, Spain
25 Mar – 5 Apr/02, World Summit on Sustainable Development, PrepCom 3, UNHQ, New York, USA
28-31 Mar/02, Preparatory Arab-Mediterranean Workshop in the process for the WSSD “Solidarity for Sustainable Development”, Tunisia
9-10 Apr/02, Euro-Med Industry Forum, Malaga, Spain
22-23 Apr/02, Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference, Valencia, Spain
23-25 Apr/02, 4th SMAP Correspondents Meeting and 2nd Preparatory Meeting for the Euro-Med Ministerial Conference on the Environment, Brussels, Belgium - EC
23-25 May/02, Contribution to Solid Waste Management in the Mediterranean – Integrated Policy for Collection and Recycling of Spent Batteries, Athens, Greece - MIO-ECSDE
27 May – 7 Jun/02, World Summit on Sustainable Development PrepCom 4, Ministerial, Bali, Indonesia

Please note that telephone numbers in Greece have changed. A "2" has been added after the city code and before the number dialled till now. When calling from within Greece you must dial the city code, then "2", then the number, i.e. 10 numbers.

Our new numbers are:
from abroad:
- tel: +3 0103247490, +3 0103247267
- fax: +3 0103245240
from within Greece:
- tel: 0103247267, 0103247490
- fax: 0103245240

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