Promoting new pathways of collaboration between Spain and the Arab World

• The UfM participated in the Meeting of the New Regional Programme of Spanish Cooperation with the Arab World: Mas’ar Al’an, hosted by Casa Mediterráneo in Alicante, Spain.
• The meeting saw a presentation of two UfM Grant Scheme beneficiary projects, namely Get Into Green and Women on the Green Path, both in the phase of implementation, benefitting several UfM Arab Member States.

Alicante, 22 January 2025 – The UfM participated in a meeting on 22 January 2025 at Casa Mediterráneo in Alicante with the key actors and stakeholders of Spanish Cooperation in the Arab Countries. This meeting took place within the framework of the AECID regional programme with the Arab World, masar al’an. The new programme was officially launched on 20 May at Casa Árabe in Madrid, with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares.

The meeting was organised by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), in collaboration with Casa Mediterráneo and the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP). It had among its objectives the introduction of the masar al’an programme and the progress of its work plan, as well as the discussion of relevant aspects of regional development cooperation policies in the Arab world.

The UfM Head of Operations and Partnerships, Libor Chlad, delivered an intervention in the opening session shedding light on the mission, structure, and working methodology of the UfM, and took stock of the work underway to engage and collaborate with development cooperation actors in the region. During the meeting, two representatives of INCO Group and CAWTAR (promoters of two beneficiary projects of the UfM Grant Scheme to Promote Employment and Entrepreneurship in the Green Economy) presented their projects, namely Get Into Green and Women on the Green Path. The same session saw a presentation by UfM Head of Sector for Regional Integration, Mohammed Elrazzaz, on the UfM Grant Schemes and the work underway within the framework of the UfM Hub for Jobs, Trade and Investment.

The UfM will hold a Grant Schemes Stakeholders Dialogue at its premises in Barcelona on 11 April 2025 to explore best practices, showcase success stories, and explore potential synergies among the grants’ beneficiaries.