GEF Focal Areas

1.3 Financing Advanced Environmental Technologies in the Mediterranean Sea Region for Water Systems and Clean Coasts (ENVITECC).

2.1 Mediterranean Coastal Zones: Water Security, Climate Resilience and Habitat Protection.

2.2 Mediterranean Coastal Zones: Managing the Water-Energy-Food and Ecosystems Nexus.

4.1 Mediterranean Sea Basin Environment and Climate Project.

Water plays so many roles in human lives that it is often hard to quantify them all, and water is perceived to be limitless and infinite. Intrinsically linked to prosperity and economic growth, healthy marine and freshwater ecosystems have gained high-level global and national attention as critical to sustaining life on earth. It is globally recognized that transboundary marine and freshwater systems underpin and connect ecosystems, human health, and key economic sectors. Transboundary water ecosystems are complex and must address a wide range of sectoral needs and themes despite not being constrained by political boundaries.

Most water systems are transboundary, necessitating coordination and cooperation between countries to mainstream sustainable use of these systems and preserve their ability to provide the valuable services upon which humans rely.  Essential to addressing the multifaceted threats to transboundary freshwater and marine ecosystems is the need for multinational cooperation supported by regional organizations, such as transboundary organizations, commissions and, where appropriate, regional economic commissions.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF)’s International Waters (IW) focal area was developed to support countries in their joint management of water resources. While not responding directly to a convention, the GEF International Waters Focal Area fills a critical gap in the global management of transboundary water resources, both marine and freshwater. GEF IW interventions are built on initial assessment of threats and opportunities, through the Transboundary Diagnostic Analyses (TDA) which are followed up by the development of regionally agreed Strategic Action Programs (SAPs).  The GEF/UN Environment “Mediterranean Sea Programme (MedProgramme): Enhancing Environmental Security” represents a GEF programmatic multi-focal area initiative in the Mediterranean Sea aiming to operationalize priority actions to reduce major transboundary environmental stresses in its coastal areas. The programme was designed based on the TDA carried out in 2005 as part of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)/UN Environment project.  Waters is the “pivotal” core theme of the MedProgramme as all Child Projects include activities directly or indirectly impacting on the water sector and all cross-cutting themes use it as a “fulcrum” for integrating and interlinking with other core themes and sectors.