15th Scientific and Technical Committee of the Pelagos Agreement

15eme CST de l'Accord Pelagos ©Direction de la Communication Manuel Vitali

On 11 and 12 September 2023, the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Pelagos Agreement met for its 15th session at the Rainier III Auditorium and online with the three Parties to the Agreement: the Principality of Monaco, which has acted as Chair for the last two years, France and Italy. Eric Béraud, a lead researcher at the Monaco Scientific Centre, is the Committee’s current Chair.
Over the course of two intense days of work, key points of the Agreement were discussed, including the new version of the Pelagos Partnership Charter, the amendment and harmonisation of the statutes of the Agreement, and the work carried out by the 109 members of the new Pelagos Working Groups.
On the environmental front, initiatives to protect marine mammals in the Mediterranean will be intensified thanks to the informed technical-scientific recommendations submitted during discussions, which included strengthening cooperation with other international agreements and publishing calls for consultations to conduct assessments of species, habitats and threats to the Sanctuary such as fishing and pollution.
The Pelagos Agreement committee has completely overhauled its website to promote its activities. It will raise awareness among young people using a poster and escape game developed with the support of the Rotary Club of Monaco that will be available to schools soon. This educational material will also be available online on the new tripartite web site.
The Monegasque delegation, led by Director of Maritime Affairs Armelle Roudaut-Lafon, is pleased with the progress made in recent months and the forthcoming measures to be implemented.