Strengthening the Fruitful Partnership with the German Development Cooperation
15 May 2024, Berlin, Germany – As the partnership between the UfM Secretariat and the German Development Cooperation enters its 6th year, the UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel embarked on a working visit to Berlin, Germany, where he held meetings with Mr. Carsten Schmitz-Hoffmann, Director General for Europe, Mediterranean and Central Asia at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). UfM Secretary General Kamel praised the modality of GIZ’s engagement as a team fully integrated into the UfM Secretariat, setting an example that has been attracting other donors and development cooperation agencies. In reply, Mr. Schmitz-Hoffman highlighted the important role of the UfM, which – due to its geographical and thematic scope – is uniquely placed to promote regional cooperation and exchange on a political as well as on a technical level.
UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, together with Mr. Christoph Rauh, Africa Director at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
This was followed by a meeting with Mr. Christoph Rauh, Africa Director at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), to take stock of the progress achieved and the prospects for further strengthening the existing partnership going forward. During the meeting, UfM SG Nasser Kamel held that “it is a partnership that has allowed for a quantum leap in the UfM’s capacity to meet its goals and to engage with an ever-expanding ecosystem, move up the learning curve, and deliver on its mandate despite the successive disruptions in the region.” For his part, Mr. Rauh stated that “the continued partnership with the UfM and its Member States entails huge comparative advantages in the development dimension, especially in facilitating economic perspectives for investments, trade and jobs.”
UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, with Dr. Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Within the framework of his working visit, UfM SG Nasser Kamel also held a courtesy meeting with Dr. Bärbel Kofler, Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The German Development Cooperation’s partnership with the UfM Secretariat started in 2018 with a four year term that was renewed for three more years in 2022 with the launch of the UfM Hub for Jobs, Trade and Investment (2022-2025), which is fully aligned with the pillars of the regional Team Europe Initiative “Jobs through Trade and Investment in the Southern Neighbourhood”. Through this partnership, the UfM Secretariat has been able to expand its work into new areas of priority and set forth a structured regional engagement in such fields as, inter alia, sustainable investment, trade facilitation, job creation, skill development, and women socio-economic empowerment. The partnership has yielded many concrete results, including the development of several high-level multi-stakeholder dialogues, the implementation of numerous trainings and workshops for governmental and non-governmental stakeholders in UfM Member States, the development of Grant Schemes for not-for-profit organizations, and the development of knowledge through comprehensive reports on regional integration across the UfM’s policy areas.
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