‎30 UfM-labelled projects to foster regional cooperation in the ‎Mediterranean ‎

Barcelona, 2 April 2015. The Senior Officials of the Union for the Mediterranean member states met on 31 March in Brussels.

The Senior Officials of the UfM member countries labelled one new regional project, Maharat Med – Developing Youth Employability and Entrepreneurship Skills, that is aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of both SMEs and recent graduates, fostering youth employment and building human capacities by providing structured training on employability skills and ultimately, increasing national employment. Promoted by the Jordanian Business Development Centre (BDC), this training programme on employability skills and entrepreneurship falls within the framework of the UfM Mediterranean Initiative for Jobs (Med4Jobs), and will be implemented in Jordan, Palestine, Egypt and Morocco.

Following the acceleration of the UfM pipeline of projects in 2013-2014, the number of UfM-labelled projects has reached the figure of 30 projects. While strengthened efforts are being undertaken regarding the implementation of projects, the UfM Secretariat is currently managing a pipeline of more than 60 projects with the aim of strengthening operational cooperation, providing answers to different socio-economic challenges and thus ensuring the operationalization of decisions taken at Ministerial level.

The Senior Officials Meetings (SOM) oversees and coordinates the work of the UfM. They approve the budget and the work programme of the Secretariat. They also discuss the project proposals submitted by the Secretariat for approval and endorsement. UfM Senior Officials take decisions by consensus.