MED Forum (Forum of Mediterranean NGOs for Ecology and
Sustainable Development) is the Network of NGOs from the Mediterranean Basin dedicated to
promoting the defense and protection of the environment within a framework of sustainable
development, to allow integrated management of the Mediterranean and its coastline based
on solidarity.
Med Forum considers that the preservation of the environment and of nature is only
possible on the basis of solidarity between individuals and between peoples, solidarity
between them and their surroundings, and between the people of today and future
generations.
The Network was formed in Barcelona on November 28 and 29, 1995, as a
consequence of the demands of numerous NGOs from different countries of the Mediterranean
Basin expressed during the III Mediterranean Environmental Forum in which more than 200
people from 80 NGOs in 17 countries of the region participated.
MED Forum's statutes are registered in accordance with Spanish legislation, as the
Network's headquarters is in Barcelona (Spain). It was legalized by the Spanish Ministry
of Justice and the Interior, with number 160.615 on February 22, 1996.
All the NGOs of the countries of the Mediterranean shoreline can form part of
MED Forum as full members. The NGOs in the neighbouring countries that concentrate their
activity on the Mediterranean can also become members.
In 1997, there were more than 80 members from the countries of the
Mediterranean shoreline; Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Albania,
Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.
There are also members in three adjacent countries; Portugal, Andorra and
Jordan, and there are contacts to incorporate NGOs from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia.
I Representing
the NGOs in International Fora
II Performance of cooperation
projects for sustainable development.
III Promoting campaigns in the
Mediterranean as a whole
IV MED Forum's presence and activities in
all the countries of the Mediterranean Basin
V Organization of Forums, Seminars
and meetings
I Representing the NGOs in
International Forums
The Network speaks on the concerns of the Mediterranean NGOs
and it transmits their activities to international authorities and forums.
MED Forum has been present at the Meetings of the MAP (Mediterranean Action
Plan) of the Barcelona Convention (Syracuse, Barcelona, Izmir, Tunis), at the
Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) (Rabat, Mallorca,
Sofia-Antipolis), at the Convention to Combat Desertification (Rome), at the IUCN World
Consevation Congress (Montreal), at the IV Mediterranean Environmental Forum (Barcelona),
at the NGO Forum on the SMAP (Montpelier, Helsinki), at the Conference on Environmental
Education-UNESCO (Thessalonika), etc.
II. Performance of cooperation projects for sustainable development
Cooperation between NGOs to carry out sustainable development and environmental protection projects is one of the best ways that MED Forum can contribute to safeguarding the Mediterranean Basin and to improving the quality of life of its inhabitants. The MED Forum Projects Bank offers the members of the Network a valid means of obtaining financial resources for partnership actions.
The first projects in operation are:
- The Mediterranean; towards its sustainable development
NGOs: ATPNE (Tunisia) and EcoMediterrānia (Spain)
Tunisia 1996/97. Extending the project to Spain and France and the rest of the countries in the Mediterranean Basin.
- Sustainable Tourism in the Mediterranean.
NGOs: EcoMediterr?nia (Spain), CLAPE-LR (France)
Development in Spain, France and Morocco 1997/98
- The fight against erosion: Rural Cooperative, Algeria
- Environmental Education in the Mediterranean. Lebanon
- Raising public awareness of the problems of water resources. Palestine
III Promoting campaigns in the Mediterranean as a whole
Regional problems require global actions from all the NGOs in
the Mediterranean. MED Forum promotes the performance of campaigns that make it possible
to deal with the large problems, to propose solutions, to raise public awareness and to
ensure that governments are all acting in towards this end.
The Mediterranean Traffic Light is a campaign that is drawing up a map of social
perception of the conservation status and environmental quality of the Mediterranean
coastline. The indicator of conservation status can be one of three colours (green, amber,
red), indicating the good, medium or poor conservation status of the coastline.
IV MED Forum's presence and activities in all the countries of the Mediterranean Basin
All the activities of the MED Forum Network seek to provide proposals to participate in solving the environmental problems of the Mediterranean region. To achieve this, MED Forum acts in all the countries of the Mediterranean coastline through its members, as well as in those countries that feel directly or indirectly affected.
V Organization of Fora, Seminars and Meetings
Encouraging dialogue and debate is another pillar of the MED
Forum Network, which organizes the Mediterranean Environmental Forum as a meeting place
for the entire environmentalist movement in the Mediterranean for the elaboration of a
Mediterranean NGO Action Program. Seminars of experts and working meetings of the
Network's members are also very numerous.
MED Forum is a member of the following, as well as many more: MAP/UNEP, EEB
(European Environment Bureau), United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, EARTH
ACTION (World Network for the Environment), ELCI (Environmental Liason Centre
International) MCSD (Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development). It also
maintains a close relationship with, and receives support from, the European Union (DGXI,
I and VIII), different international Administrations and programs (Berne Convention,
Ramsar Convention, World Bank, ECOSOC, IUCN, IFAD, ...)
Executive Committee
This consists of NGOs from the North, South, East and North-East of the
Mediterranean Basin. It includes the President and Secretary General and several members.
It meets at least twice a year.
Founding Council
This consists of the Founder Members and one Full Member from each country,
appointed at the proposal of the Founder Members. It meets once a year. The founder
Members are: M.E.A. (Algeria), Eko Rijeka (Croatia), Ecological Mouvement of Cyprus
(Cyprus), EcoMediterrania (Spain), Liban Nature Environment (Lebanon) ASMAPE (Morocco),
Palestinian Hydrology Group (Palestine), ATPNE (Tunisia).
General Assembly
The highest decision-taking body of the MED Forum. It consists of all the
members. It meets once every three years.
Secretariat
The headquarters of MED Forum is in Barcelona (Spain) and EcoMediterr?nia
assumes the management of the Secretariat.
The MED Forum Bulletin
The informative bulletin "MED Forum, ecology and sustainable
development" is distributed to more than 3,000 people throughout the Mediterranean
Basin and Europe.
Subject Commissions
MED Forum is organized into Subject Commissions consisting of experts from the
member organizations. The commissions that are operational include:
Sustainable Tourism
Desertification
The Coastline
Biodiversity, etc.
Scientific-Technical Commission (STC)
The STC advises the Network and draws up reports on all the scientific,
technical and technological matters that are related to the conservation of the
environment, environmental quality, sustainable development and environmental education
and training in the Mediterranean.
MED Forum has a Founding Charter, Statutes and an annual Work Program. The "Barcelona Declaration of Mediterranean NGOs: for integrated management of the Mediterranean Basin based on solidarity", defines the Network's strategy, together with the Proposals for Action on desertification, biodiversity and the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development approved at the IV Mediterranean Environmental Forum.