On January 11, 2021, the One Planet Summit, organized by France, brought together world leaders and international decision-makers to address the challenge of global biodiversity conservation.

Opening the session dedicated to the protection of marine and terrestrial environments, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco highlighted the importance of Marine Protected Areas in the preservation of the most fragile ecosystems. The Sovereign recalled that in the Mediterranean, in order to strengthen the development and efficiency of marine areas, a trust fund, The MedFund, was created on the initiative of Monaco, France and Tunisia.

 

By 2025, the Fund aims to reach a capitalization of 30 M€ which will allow to sustainably support about twenty MPAs.

The Prince has called on other countries and organizations to join The MedFund, which thus becomes an active partner of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People.

This political meeting was an important milestone before the IUCN World Congress scheduled in September 2021 in Marseille.