The regional celebration of the 2017 Mediterranean Coast Day, organised on September 25 in Tivat, Montenegro was a glowing success. The main event was attended by 150odd participants, representatives of several Mediterranean countries, and a large number of representatives of institutions and other components of the Montenegrin civil society. The event was organised under the high patronage of Mr. Filip Vujanović, President of Montenegro and President of the National Council for Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Integrated Coastal Zone Management, who opened the event and gave a highly inspired speech. He confirmed the awareness of the highest political levels of Montenegro of the value of the coastal zones and environmental issues these face, and dedication to resolve them. Combined with great efforts made by relevant institutions, including the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and the Public Enterprise for Coastal Zone Management, Montenegro has achieved great results that can serve as example for other countries to look up to, a statement reiterated by many speakers, including Mr. Gaetano Leone, UN Environment/MAP Coordinator and Ms. Željka Škaričić, PAP/RAC Director. This year the title of the honorary Ambassador for the Coast was awarded to Mr. Branimir Gvozdenovic, Vice-President of the Parliament of Montenegro, for his great personal contribution to the cause, and in particular CAMP project in Montenegro. The programme of the event also included several presentations on the positive experience of various countries dealing with environmental issues, as well as on some important projects about to be launched in the area. In parallel with the official event, the Montenegrin hosts organised a number of activities with children ranging from collection and separation of waste on the beaches, to lectures on diving in ecology and theatre play. This was slightly marred by the weather as rain prevented the implementation of the outdoors activities. The highly successful day was rounded up by a cruise through the magnificent bay of Boka Kotorska, the deepest bay of the Adriatic Sea with highly indented coastline.
More information on the celebration is available here.
