MAP press release:

At the start of the ceremony, HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa followed an opening film and a video entitled "Manifesto", performed by actor, director and playwright, Ismail El Fellahi.

Her Royal Highness then followed screen projections on the "#B7arblaplastic" (plastic-free sea) campaign and the Lalla Hasnaa Sustainable Coastline Trophies, as well as a video tribute to the late artist Mohamed (Mao) Bennani, designer of the Lalla Hasnaa Sustainable Coastline Trophy.

HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa then handed out the 2022 Lalla Hasnaa Sustainable Coastline Trophies to the winners of the "Clean Beaches," "Sharing and Living Environment," "Protection and Enhancement of Natural Heritage," "Education and Youth," and "Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility" categories.

The "Clean Beaches Program" trophy, which rewards an initiative in favor of one or more beaches, in terms of management, development, preservation, education and information, was awarded to seven initiatives.

Among the awardees were the Holmarcom Group (Brigade de la propreté : Na9iw B7arna); Crédit Agricole and Association Arimal Dahabia (Boundi Family Competition); OCP, Safi site (Supervision and Mobilization of local associations at Souiria K'dima beach); Fondation Banque Populaire (Installation of a trash fish for a public aware of plastic waste recycling); Marsa Maroc (Citizen mobilization on the Ain Diab "Mme Choual" beach); Redal and Zero waste Skhirate association (Recycling fishing nets left on the beach into useful objects); and Ciments du Maroc (Sayfok village on the Safi Municipal beach).

The "Sharing and Living Environment" Trophy, which rewards initiatives to enhance public and natural urban and peri-urban spaces along the Moroccan coastline, was awarded to five initiatives: the Marjane Diving and Water Sports Association and Redal (Underwater Sports Festival); Association Essalam - Dakhla (Observatoire du littoral de la région de Dakhla de Oued Ed-Dahab); Association club de plongée et sports maritimes de Tanger (Opération Pélican pour le nettoyage du fond marin); ONEE-Branche électricité and TC Travel (Pavé et brique écologique); and Cohin-Environnement (Waste Water Box, Ghazoua wastewater treatment plant).

Seven projects received the "Protection and enhancement of natural heritage" trophy, which recognizes the most outstanding achievements in improving knowledge of the coastline, conserving its biodiversity and fragile ecosystems, and implementing initiatives to control threats to the safety and integrity of the Moroccan coastline.

These are: Abdelmalek Essaâdi University (Development of models for monitoring emerging contaminants in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean coast); the Association "les amoureux de la mer" (sea lovers) for underwater fishing and environmental conservation (Le Dauphin Bleu); the Mohammed I University in Oujda and the Tes Green Maroc Association (Setting up a unit to raise awareness and study microplastic pollution); the Champions Fnideq underwater hunting Association ("Marine Morocco" platform on marine biodiversity in Morocco); the Ain Chock Faculty of Sciences - Hassan II University Casablanca (Use of seaweed washed up on the Moroccan coastline for organic farming); the Chouaib Doukkali University (Development of invasive marine algae through the extraction of biopesticides); and the Khnifiss Association Network (Eco-tourism development of the biodiversity of the Khnifiss National Park through the creation of a bird observatory in the Moroccan Atlantic Sahara).

The "Education and Youth" Trophy, which rewards the best environmental education actions, projects, studies, research or programs carried out by schools, high schools, university institutions, research centers, and public and private organizations, was awarded to 9 projects, namely Redal and the Moroccan Association of “Petits Débrouillards” (écol'eau Classes – "all in charge for preserving water and the coastline"); the Bahri Association (Clean and Play); the Société de Développement Saïdia-Groupe CDG (Happy Walls : environmental art); the Municipality of Fnideq and the Champions Fnideq underwater hunting association (Environmental incubator in educational establishments); BMCE and Zero waste Skhirate (Installation of a beach library at casino plage); An-Najah School support association for the Ark school (Storytelling as a way of developing civic-minded attitudes towards preserving the coastline); Polydisciplinary Faculty of Safi-Cadi Ayyad University (Sea Mun Safi Model United Nations Maritime); ONEE-Branch Water (Awareness-raising and introduction to water quality control); and Moroccan Airports Authority (An exhibition on the beach to raise awareness of the effects of plastic waste on the coast and ocean).

The "Social and Environmental Responsibility of Organizations" Trophy, dedicated to initiatives by economic operators who have chosen to integrate an environmental, social or economic approach that has a positive impact on the Moroccan coastline, was awarded to seven initiatives.

The winners were the Tanger Med Foundation and the Sahel Association for Development and Culture (water launch and support for people with special needs); the Association du rayonnement culturel (youth initiatives for a sustainable coastline); the Association Agir (Odyssea Iliad Agir marine observatory); Association Alhad Aljadid Association for traditional fishing and municipality in Fnideq (Cleaning up the port of Fnideq and protecting marine life); Coopérative Doralo pour l'Aquaculture (Promoting aquaculture among fishing cooperatives); STMicroelectronics (Protecting the environment and moving towards sustainable development); and Taghazout resort development and promotion company  SAPST-Groupe CDG (Taghazout Bay and sustainable tourism).

Her Royal Highness then posed for a souvenir photo with the winners of the 4^th edition of these trophies.

For their 4^th edition, the Lalla Hasnaa Sustainable Coastline Trophies have extended their scope to the oceans, and are now officially registered as a full-fledged activity of the Decade of Ocean Sciences by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

A decision that reflects the Foundation's commitment to ocean preservation, under the leadership of Her Royal Highness, both in Morocco and in Africa.

The 4^th edition of the Trophies saw a healthy increase in the number of entries compared with the last edition: 157 projects, compared with 120 in 2018, were submitted by the various candidates - associations, academics, municipalities, companies, public bodies, etc. – for the five categories of the Trophies.

The projects submitted tackled topical issues such as the impact of climate change, plastic pollution and the protection of biodiversity. Others showed real creativity in the development of devices to mitigate pollution, while university research was mobilized to study and protect natural heritage. To raise young people's awareness of the environment and the oceans, creativity and, above all, interactivity were the order of the day.

HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa then visited the "Seconde vie" (Second Life) exhibition, which showcased the most outstanding projects carried out as part of this 4^th edition, including fishing nets (Doralo Cooperative for Aquaculture), carpets woven from recycled plastic (Redal and Association Zero Waste), and ecological paving stones and bricks (ONEE-Power Branch and TC Travel), before presiding over a reception honoring the participants.

Upon her arrival, HRH Princess Lalla Hasnaa was greeted by the Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, the Wali of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, Mohamed Yaacoubi, the President of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra Regional Council, Rachid El Abdi, the Governor of the Salé Prefecture, Omar Touimi, the President of the Salé Prefectural Council, Noureddine Lazrak, the First Vice-President of the Ameur Communal Council, Belghazia Esskat, the President of President of the General Confederation of Businesses in Morocco , Chakib Alj.

Her Royal Highness was also greeted by the official partners of the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection, namely the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Khalid Ait Taleb, the Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatima Zahra Ammor, the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mohammed Abdeljalil, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, the Wali, Secretary General of the Ministry of the Interior, Mohamed Faouzi, the Director General of the National Water and Forest agency,  Abderrahim Houmy and the members of the Foundation's Board of Directors.