8th Meeting of the Parties to the Pelagos Agreement

© Ludovica Favilli

The 8^th Meeting of the Parties to the Pelagos Agreement was held on 15 and 16 December in Rome.  At this meeting, the Monegasque Party handed over the Presidency of the Agreement to the Italian Party. The Presidency had been held by Mr. Cyril Gomez since 2017 and was handed over to Mr. Carlo Zaghi.

H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince wished to send a message of support to the representatives of the three Member States for the Agreement's numerous activities, thus recalling the importance of international cooperation in the field of marine protection and welcoming the adoption of ambitious objectives by the three countries.

Furthermore, the Agreement's Management Plan and Action Plan (2022-2027) were adopted, as well as the creation of the "Pelagos Voluntary Fund," which is intended to raise additional funding for undertaking activities. Resolutions that are essential for the conduct of the Agreement's activities in the coming years were also adopted.

Finally, two side events were held on the margins of this 8^th meeting:  the signing of a partnership with the Mediterranean Biodiversity Protection Community, and a workshop on the subject of collisions between ships and large cetaceans.

1 The Pelagos Agreement on the establishment of a Marine Mammal Sanctuary in the Mediterranean was signed in Rome on 25 November 1999 by Italy, France and the Principality of Monaco and entered into force on 21 February 2002.  Its aim is to protect marine mammals and their habitats from all causes of disturbance.

The Pelagos Sanctuary is also a Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) of the Barcelona Convention and is the only international marine protected area in the Mediterranean dedicated to the protection of marine mammals.  This status was renewed in 2019.