Declaration – The Voice of the Mediterraneans
The Voice of the Mediterraneans is an international declaration in support of coastal resilience — a cross-cutting, trans-Mediterranean and inter-organismic programme, 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 was expressed as 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.
Our 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.
Our 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.
- 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.
The Mediterranean: a fragile balance
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.
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
- Marseille Workshop: Integrated water management
23 April 2024 - Alexandria Workshop: Climate risk management in coastal cities
17 April 2024 - Nice Workshop: Spatial recomposition of high-risk coastal areas
14 March 2025 - Muğla Workshop: Cultural land-sea interaction for territorial resilience
06 and 07 May 2025
The Voice of the Mediterraneans is the outcome of a cycle of workshops coordinated by AVITEM. This collaborative process was carried out in partnership with expert organizations through a series of international workshops held across four Mediterranean territories.
Join our network of actors in the Mediterranean
Redesigning a sustainable Mediterranean future is both imperative and urgent.
In partnership with:
Plan Bleu, Mediterranean Experts on Climate and environmental Change (MedECC), Commission Interméditerranéenne de la Conférence des Régions Périphériques Maritimes (CRPM), Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD), Euromed Cities Network, MedCités, Conservatoire du littoral, Barcelona Regional, Institut Méditerranéen de l’Eau, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Université Côte d’Azur, Agence d’Urbanisme Azuréenne, Syndicat Mixte de l’étang de Thau, la Municipalité de Muğla, the four schools of architecture of the Mélimed project.