BUSINESSMED participated from 11 to 13 June 2019 in the 18th meeting of the Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development organized by the United Nations Environment Programme in Budva, Montenegro.

The meeting was attended by delegates of Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and representatives of six stakeholder groups, including local authorities, socio-economic actors, civil society/NGOs, business support organisations, scientists and Parliamentarians.

The first day started with the election of the Steering Committee and the presentation of the progress report on the main achievements on the ground, since the 17th meeting of the committee. Later, member States present shared their institutional mechanisms and national strategies for implementing the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

The Sustainable Development Goals were high on the agenda, with a focus on the Mediterranean transition to an inclusive blue economy. Members of the committee highlighted some aspects that they felt were important in the delivery of this programme. These included the importance of developing national monitoring and evaluation capacity; the need to further harmonise information platforms at national and regional levels and the role of the private sector in capacity-building actions toward information and communication.