Mediterranean territories are uniting for coastal resilience and land-sea sustainability, in preparation for the United Nations Ocean Conference 2025 (UNOC3).
The Voice of the Mediterraneans is an international declaration in support of coastal resilience — a foundation for strengthened dialogue with local authorities across the Mediterranean region, and the result of collective work among expert partners.
This international and action-oriented declaration aims to express a united voice at the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), contribute to the roadmap of the Coalition of Coastal Cities and Regions of the World, and reflect the shared determination of Mediterranean territories to build resilience in the face of the existential threats facing their coastlines.
Commitments
- Do not worsen existing situations – A resilient vision for the development of our coastlines.
- Accelerate our transitions – A rapid and fair transformation to limit coastal risks.
- Build a shared vision of the Mediterranean coastline of the future – A political pact rooted in shared values and new forms of action.
First project initiatives
- Atlas of coastal risks in the Mediterranean – A shared and dynamic tool for multi-risk knowledge, territorialization, and dissemination for better anticipation of coastal risks in the Mediterranean.
- Networks for coastal resilience – Collective learning, knowledge transfers, and innovation for resilience solutions.
Networking efforts to amplify the development of coastal projects. - Mediterranean Cultural and Design Biennial – Coordinated artistic and cultural programming across regions focusing on the relationship between land and sea, to connect scientific and popular, traditional and contemporary cultures.
- Mediterranean ERASMUS for professional mobility – Individual pathways within local authorities to strengthen professional skills, promote learning and exchange in an intercultural context.
Our Mediterranean coastal areas reflect a paradoxical dual reality: a unique ecological and cultural heritage; and an economic and tourism industry that remains vital, yet at times destructive. Today, however, the vulnerability of this region is intensifying and accelerating, mainly as a result of territorial actions: 50% of the coastline has been artificialised in 30 years; 75% of which is urbanized; 37% of beaches are threatened with disappearance by 2050; and 75% of the coastline is affected by erosion.
Redesigning a sustainable Mediterranean future is both imperative and urgent. The coastal fringe is the critical zone, and potentially a strategic laboratory. This fundamental undertaking largely depends on the quality of the interactions between humans and nature, between land and sea, and above all, among Mediterranean territories.
A series of collaborative workshops
The Voice of the Mediterraneans is the outcome of a cycle of UNOC3 workshops coordinated by the Agency for Sustainable Mediterranean Cities and Territories (AVITEM). This collaborative process was carried out in partnership with expert organisations through a series of international workshops held across four Mediterranean territories, including MedECC.
MedECC was represented by Mohamed Abdrabo at the Workshop – Climate change risk management in coastal cities (Alexandria, Egypt, 17 October 2025) and by Salpie Djoudourian at the Workshop – Spatial recomposition: a solution to adapt high-risk coastal areas (Nice, France, 14 April 2025).
DOWNLOAD: Declaration – The Voice of the Mediterraneans
