The Republic of Cyprus hosted the 9th Environment for Europe (9EfE) Ministerial Conference, from 5 to 7 October 2022 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The Conference was held on 5-7 October 2022 and brought together some 1,000 participants, with some 70 country delegations represented at the ministerial level, as well as representatives of European and international organizations, researchers and non-governmental organizations. 9EfE hosted by the Government of Cyprus with secretariat support from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), in cooperation with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and other partners. It focused on three thematic components: Sustainable Infrastructure/Circular Economy, Sustainable Tourism and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
9EfE closed with the adoption of a ministerial declaration affirming countries’ commitment to transition to a green economy with sustainable infrastructure at its core. In addition, the declaration underscores the need for more and stronger ESD to advance environmental governance, to strengthen environmental democracy and to empower learners of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to address the interconnected global challenges.
MIO-ECSDE & MEdIES had a significant role in the conference by providing the Secretariat of the 38 Side Events organised within the two and a half Conference days. In addition, MIO-ECSDE/MEdIES were the main organiser of a series of Side Events in collaboration with their partners, and namely:
- (on 5 October) “Higher Education towards Sustainable Development: Making Universities Lighthouses of Sustainability” and “Making the management of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) circular and truly sustainable”
- (on 6 October) “Towards a new Waste Management Governance: implementing circularity from the local to the regional level in the Mediterranean”
- (on 7 October) “Ocean Literacy in the Mediterranean”, “Environmental governance for transforming our planet – Promoting the Aarhus Convention in the whole of the Mediterranean region”, “From the Whole School Approach (WSA) to Whole Institute Approach (WIA) as a tool to empower learners in facing todays’ challenges”, “Marine Litter/Plastic Pollution, a major environmental and tourism problem: Monitoring and participatory science”,
while they had important input in several others. Find the detailed list of the Side Events at: https://nicosiaefe.gov.cy/preliminary-agenda-3
In addition, MEdIES Secretatiat facilitated the organization of the High-Level Event of Education and Environment Ministers on the Mediterranean Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development and its Action Plan towards 2030 (6 October 2022) where Ministers of Education and Environment from the region and important international organizations celebrated the progress of the Mediterranean Strategy of ESD and adopted its Action Plan towards 2030. Read more about the Event here.
Last but not least, MEdIES Secretatiat organised back-to- back with the 9EfE tthe 2022 Hybrid University organically linked with the Conference, on 5-10 October 2022. Read more about it here.
