Coast Day 2019: celebrating the importance of Mediterranean coastal zones

The 2019 edition of the Coast Day celebration was held in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, on 25 September 2019. The Priority Actions Programme/Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC) organized the event in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of Cyprus.

Coast Day, which is celebrated annually since 2007, is aimed at raising awareness of the importance and vulnerability of the coastal zones in the Mediterranean.

The Deputy Minister for Shipping, the Permanent Secretary for shipping, the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, the Mayor of Ayia Napa, the Bishop of Ayia Napa and representatives of the Department of Environment of Cyprus attended the event. Ms. Xenia Loizidou, Director of the AKTI Project and Research Centre, was announced as the Coast Day Ambassador for 2019.

Participants in the Coast Day event in Cyprus included tourism professionals and local authority officials as well as non-governmental organizations.

The Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Strategy for Cyprus (2018-2030) took centre stage this year. “Let’s be strategic”, the theme selected for this year’s edition, reflects the need to apply a strategic ICZM approach to the management of coastal zones.

In his speech at the opening session, Mr. Gaetano Leone, the UNEP/MAP Coordinator, observed that “Coast Day has become a tradition for many years now around the Mediterranean. A tradition that helps us reflect on the state of the coastal areas of the Mediterranena and think together what measures can be taken to reduce pressures being exerted on them". Read more