MEPIELAN Centre, an accredited MAP Partner, participated as an observer* in the 19th Meeting of the Contracting Parties (COP19) to the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols, which took place in Athens, Greece, from 9 to 12 February 2016. The Meeting, which was held under the theme ‘Forty Years of Cooperation for a Healthy and Productive Mediterranean Sea and Coast: A Collective Journey Towards Sustainable Development’ to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Convention, was attended by delegates from 20 Mediterranean countries and the European Union as well as representatives from several inter-governmental, non-governmental and scientific organizations. In addition to MEPIELAN Centre, the following MAP Partners participated as observers: The International Centre for Comparative Environmental Law (CIDCE), the Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA), the Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET), the Network of MPA Managers in the Mediterranean (MEDPAN), the Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).