UfM Regional Platform on Women Empowerment reviews progress on gender equality monitoring

Online, 12 May 2026 – This year the UfM Regional Platform on Women Empowerment brought together 60 representatives of UfM Member States, EU institutions, international organisations and regional stakeholders in an online preparatory meeting to advance the implementation of the 2022 5^th UfM Ministerial Declaration on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society and prepare the ground for the in-person Regional Platform meeting planned for November 2026.

The meeting provided a platform for policy dialogue and regional exchange on gender equality priorities across the Euro-Mediterranean region. Discussions took place in the context of evolving regional and global frameworks, including the EU Gender Equality Strategy, the forthcoming EU Women’s Rights Roadmap, the New Pact for the Mediterranean and the outcomes of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70).

In the opening session, the Co-Presidencies and the UfM highlighted the importance of strengthening regional cooperation and translating political commitments into concrete action to accelerate progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment across the Mediterranean.

“Across the UfM agenda, women’s empowerment is increasingly recognised not as a standalone issue, but as essential to the future resilience and prosperity of our region. This is reflected across our ministerial declarations and workplans – from employment and economic participation to climate, innovation and education All the recent UfM initiatives aligned with the priorities of the Ministerial Declaration may differ in focus (gendered impacts of climate change, female leadership in Academia, access to finance etc), but they share the same objective: ensuring that women are recognised not only as beneficiaries, but as leaders, innovators and agents of change.” said Petra Kežman, Deputy Secretary General for Human Development at UfM.

She also underlined the importance of implementation, accountability and evidence-based policymaking through the UfM Gender Equality Monitoring Mechanism.

Participants discussed the state of play on gender equality in the region, with contributions from UN Women Arab States and the European Training Foundation focusing on persistent gender gaps, labour market participation and emerging opportunities linked to the green, digital and care economies.

The UfM presented the updated roadmap which outlines a comprehensive framework to operationalise the 2022 UfM Ministerial commitments on women’s empowerment, translating them into concrete actions. It is structured around six strategic pillars covering economic empowerment, climate action and WPS, ending violence, leadership, monitoring, and partnerships. The roadmap combines policy dialogue, regional programmes, and multi-stakeholder cooperation to deliver measurable outcomes.

The  preliminary findings from the ongoing 2026 monitoring exercise under the UfM Gender Equality Monitoring Mechanism were shared as well. These findings will inform the second Regional Report on Gender Equality, presented during the meeting and scheduled for official launch at the in-presence Regional Platform meeting to be held later this year in Barcelona. Representatives from UfM Member States, as well as OECD MENA, UNDP, and other regional stakeholders, had the opportunity to share national good practices, progress achieved and remaining challenges on women empowerment.

The meeting also launched preparations for the in-person UfM Regional Platform meeting in November 2026, including initial reflections toward a possible new Ministerial Declaration in 2027 and its priorities.

Through these exchanges, participants reaffirmed the importance of regional cooperation, evidence-based policymaking and inclusive dialogue in advancing gender equality across the Euro-Mediterranean region.