This capitalization project, due to its uniqueness, will be implemented in the Mediterranean region, particularly through the transfer and mainstreaming components. Within the community building component, some of the activities will take place in the same Mediterranean islands of the selected BeMed individual projects. 

The purpose of the project is to continue the work developed with the CapiMed-Islands capitalisation program. To achieve this, different levels of intervention are planned to pursue the following strategic objectives:  

• Supporting the animation of the BeMed Island community of practice (Community building and knowledge transfer) 

In the first phase of the project, an analysis of selected projects (e.g., timing, deliverables, methods) will allow to identify potential synergies among BeMed projects, leading to the development of collaboration and technical support initiatives. To achieve this component regular exchanges will be facilitated through bi-lateral and group meetings and support a harmonised approach with the BeMed Community of Practice (CoP).  

This will facilitate a coherent and complementary approach to other islands to build capacity and partnership, to transfer and replicate the effective actions, results, and lessons learnt already underway in the Mediterranean. 

• Supporting services: Toolbox for the BeMed islands community

This objective focuses on providing a range of consultancy and technical support services to assist members of the BeMed community of practice (already existing and well-functioning) in carrying out concrete actions and securing funding for their projects. The specific content of these activities will be defined once the needs and synergies between projects are identified. 

The integrated tools and solutions for the BeMed islands community will enhance technical and monitoring capacities of island communities to prevent and tackle plastic pollution, to promote the use of nature-based and circular economy models on islands to manage waste sustainably and build long-term environmental resilience and to strengthen policy advocacy for island-specific plastic waste solutions and better integration of environmental monitoring and management tools into policy frameworks (for example with policy assessments, building advocacy networks, developing templates and toolkits for easy adoption of effective policies, using regional ..platforms to share successful policies and advocate for island needs….). These results represent potential impacts of the technical support and guidance provided to island communities. They illustrate the kinds of positive outcomes that tailored support services could foster. 

A service also important will be the Mapping of funding opportunities and support for project proposal writing and fundraising, to assist community members in accessing funding opportunities by providing training on proposal writing, project management, and fundraising strategies. 

• Scaling best practices, building partnerships, and influencing policy for Mediterranean islands

To increase and promote replication of best practices of effective plastic waste management and marine litter reduction initiatives, and expand the reach of BeMed projects, CapiMed+ will organize workshops inviting SMILO community, Barcelona Convention and UNEP partners, EU plastic project partners (Missions projects), Frioul Declaration partners…. Through this workshops and training sessions of the CoP, we will allow for stakeholders to share successful strategies and lessons learned from their best practices. We also want to establish and maintain partnerships with regional initiatives (e.g. EU Ocean Restoration Missions, Barcelona Convention) to foster cross-project synergies, thereby increasing the impact and scope of BeMed initiatives.  

To enhance the capacities of the BeMed beneficiaries to engage in policy discussions we will favour bilateral exchanges, offering them a set of services they can choose from according to their priorities and needs. Collaboration with key stakeholders like BlueMissionMed (and National Hubs) will ensure that BeMed’s project outcomes are recognized and adopted into national and regional guidelines and frameworks. Lessons learned from CapiMed 1 policy brief impact will be taken on board. 

A final capitalisation event, to increase visibility, will be organized (e.g. at the MARLICE Forum) to showcase BeMed’s successes, highlight best practices, and promote continued collaboration among Mediterranean stakeholders. 

2nd Call for Projects  

In May 2024, BedMed launched its 2nd call for projects dedicated to the Mediterranean islands, to support local initiatives in the fight against plastic pollution and the following seven projects, led by local stakeholders across 6 Mediterranean countries were selected: 

• Isotech Ltd, “Green and circular ports for a litter-free Mediterranean“, Cyprus: Encourage collaboration within the shipping industry by implementing, in partnership with 5 Mediterranean ports, solutions to reduce waste and improve waste management on board ships and in port facilities.
• Milieu Kontakt and ETMI, “Marine litter prevention in Sazani and Kune Vain Islands”, Albania: Reducing plastic waste on the Sazani and Kune Vain islands through awareness-raising actions, supporting the HoReCa sector and drawing up a roadmap for action involving local stakeholders.
• Active Citizen for Development, “Djerba’s College of Hotels committed to the fight against plastic pollution”, Tunisia: Creation of a College of Hotels in Djerba to encourage collaboration within the hotel sector and support hotels in reducing the use of single-use plastic and improving their waste management.
• Flag Pine, “Towards a plastic-free Karaburun-Sazan Marine Protected Area”, Albania: Raising awareness and implementing pilot actions to reduce the use of single-use plastics in the Karaburun-Sazan marine protected area and the Bay of Vlora.
• Gökçeada Municipality, “Gökçeada Single-Use Plastics Action Plan”, Türkiye: Develop and implement a comprehensive action plan to raise awareness and encourage environmental responsibility among local communities and visitors reduce single-use plastics at Gökçeada.
• Mare Vivu, “Riparu”, France: Supporting the transition of public and private stakeholders in Corsica and the Mediterranean, through awareness-raising, educational activities, advocacy and support for the hotel sector.
• Rezero and MiZA, “Diagnosis of plastic waste generation in the maritime sector and the development of a Zero Waste Certification – MARINE-ZWB”, Spain: Involving maritime tourism stakeholders through the introduction of zero-waste certification, online training workshops, awareness-raising campaigns and the organisation of events.

MedWaves’s role

MedWaves is the lead partner of the initiative, leading the community building and mainstreaming components. MedWaves plays a key role within the Barcelona Convention framework to support policy making at the regional level and at the national and local levels, with on the ground activities and technical support to the countries. During the last years, the mandate, work and resources for marine litter prevention have been intensified.  

MedWaves has a key role due to expertise in marine litter and plastic pollution, as well as actions targeting the different public sectors. MedWaves works with governments to enable policies to tackle plastic pollution; entrepreneurs to prevent the land-based pollution; Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to set up and implement actions plans to take effective measures against plastic pollution.