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The Mediterranean region has already experienced an increase in average temperature of 1.4°C since the pre-industrial era, 0.4°C more than the global average. Europe and the Mediterranean region suffer each summer from an increasingly warming and drying climate, already causing loss of life and disruptions throughout the region. The Mediterranean, where a large part of the population lives close to the coast, many in coastal sites and cities, is particularly affected.

In South-East Europe and the Mediterranean, UNESCO through its Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe and its scientific programmes - such as the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), Man and the Biosphere (MAB) and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) - is contributing to discussions on how climate change is affecting the region, notably its water resources and the Mediterranean Sea.

In addition, 91�鶹������Ʒ���� been working closely with its Member States to study the effects of climate change on UNESCO sites, such as biosphere reserves, Global Geoparks and World Heritage sites – with many situated on the Mediterranean coast threatened by sea level rise - and propose ways for these sites to best adapt to climate change and to the multiplication of extreme weather patterns. UNESCO is also working both at the global and regional levels with youth and promoting education as key to addressing climate change through Education for Sustainable Development and climate change education.

The regional symposium “The future of SouthEast Europe and the Mediterranean in the context of climate change: a UNESCO perspective”, organised by the UNESCO Regional Bureau in November 2019 gathered 58 attendees including national and regional authorities, youth activists, experts and scientists, and UNESCO site managers to contribute to a climate-resilient South-East Europe and Mediterranean region.

The symposium explored how UNESCO could more effectively work with UNESCO sites, which are emblematic sites both in terms of nature and culture in the region, to increase their resilience to climate change and extreme events.

Since then, the UNESCO Regional Bureau has been working with its partners around the region to develop concrete projects with partners within the network of UNESCO sites (close to 200), located within the purview of the Bureau’s mandate. This large presence on the ground creates an unparalleled opportunity for joint action to tackle the climate crisis, through adaptation and resilience building, and to significantly help contribute to achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The Bureau has also been active in addressing the effects of climate change on the Mediterranean Sea, in particular as part of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO’s global ocean literacy initiative coordinated by its project office based in Venice.

The UNESCO Regional Bureau has been working very closely with managers and experts in UNESCO sites in order to promote best practices for adaptation to climate change. The issue in particular was a key theme in the series of Man and Biosphere (MAB) summer universities organized with MIO-ESCDE over the past 6 years, which have sought to improve the interaction of young students and professionals within UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and exchange knowledge on the impacts of climate change on these sites. The Regional Bureau is also a partner in EU-funded projects related to climate change and UNESCO sites, notably SHELTER (Sustainable Historic Environments hoListic reconstruction through Technological Enhancement and community-based Resilience) started in 2019. The project aims to bring together the scientific community and heritage managers with the objective of increasing resilience of cultural and natural sites to climate change. The Santa Croce Church in Ravenna, Italy (UNESCO World Heritage Site) is one of the five Open Labs that steer and validate the SHELTER activities on climate adaptation.

Another transboundary Open Lab is the Sava River Basin, a major catchment in SouthEast Europe, coordinated by UNESCO Regional Bureau together with the International Sava River Basin Commission. Another important climate-related line of work of the UNESCO Regional Bureau is the Issue Based Coalition (IBC) on Environment and Climate Change, made up of 18 UN agencies, led in coordination with UNEP and UNECE. Launched in 2020, the IBC provides a regional platform for UN agencies to support Member States in Europe and Central Asia in their implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The IBC’s main goal is to support Resident Coordinators (RCs) and United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs) in Europe and Central Asia on environmental and climate change issues.

Within this context, in March 2020, UNESCO and UNECE co-led a regional webinar on water and climate change on the occasion of the launch of the 2020 World Water Development Report (WWDR) on the same topic. The webinar presented the results of the WWDR and initiated a discussion with RCs and members of UNCTs in the region that are planning, implementing and monitoring water and climate with national authorities. Through activities such as these, the UNESCO Regional Bureau and its partners provide national counterparts with data, tools and recommendations and help assist Member States to effectively and efficiently manage their resources in the climate change era.

Climate change, the ‘defining issue of our time’ according to António Guterres, UN Secretary-General, is not going away and its effects will be dramatic, notably in the Mediterranean. UNESCO stands ready along with its partners in the region including MIO-ESCDE, to assist its Member States and other key stakeholders such as UNESCO sites, to adapt to this new reality and transform the way we live in order to ensure the health of our planet for future generations.

MIO-ECSDE website