Priority Actions Programme/Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC)

Priority Actions Programme/Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC), established in 1977, is a key component of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), itself part of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Twenty one Mediterranean countries as well as the European Union make up the MAP, and their common objective is the creation of a healthier Mediterranean environment, resting on the principle of sustainable development. One of six Regional Activity Centres within the MAP, PAP/RAC objective is to contribute to sustainable development of coastal zones and sustainable use of their natural resources. In this respect, PAP/RAC’s mission is to provide assistance to Mediterranean countries - through methodology, guidelines, tools, techniques and practical ICZM projects - in the implementation of Article 4(i) of the Barcelona Convention, meeting their obligations under the ICZM Protocol and implement the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD), 2005, and by carrying out, in particular, the tasks assigned to it in Article 32 of the ICZM Protocol, 2008. The ICZM Protocol was signed in Madrid, on 21 January 2008. On 24 March 2011, the Protocol entered into force. On the occasion of the CoP 17, held in Paris from 8 to 10 February 2012, the Action Plan for the implementation of the Protocol 2012-2019 was adopted by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention. The Parties are convinced that this Protocol represents a crucial step in the history of MAP. It will allow the countries to better manage their coastal zones, as well as to deal with the emerging coastal environmental challenges, including in particular climate change. PAP/RAC is also responsible for the coordination of CAMP – “Coastal Area Management Programme” program, which is oriented at implementation of practical integrated management projects in selected Mediterranean coastal areas, applying ICZM.

http://www.paprac.org/