The Union for the Mediterranean joins the international community in promoting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Fulfilling its role as observer, a delegation from the UfM headed by the UfM Secretary General has participated in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 74). This edition marks the fourth participation of the UfM Secretariat at the UNGA.
• The UfM Secretary General held several bilateral meetings in the sidelines of the UNGA 74 with Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the UfM Region, as well as high-level representatives of UN agencies, partner institutions and international organizations, during which he reviewed the ongoing UfM efforts and explored pathways of future collaboration on promoting the achievement of the SDGs.

New York, 27 September 2019. A delegation from the Union for the Mediterranean, headed by the UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel, participated in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 74), which opened on 22 September 2019 in New York.  

In the margins of UNGA, the UfM Secretary General met with several UfM Ministers of Foreign Affairs including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia. He also held meetings with as high-level representatives of partner institutions UN agencies and international organizations with whom the UfM is cooperating and creating synergies in order to promote a positive agenda for the Mediterranean, among those the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States,and the Assistant United Nations Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. During these meetings, the UfM Secretary General updated the Ministers on the state-of-play of preparation for the IV UfM Regional Forum, which will take place on 10 October in Barcelona with a forward-looking message, namely “Paving the way forward.” 

During the bilateral meetings and the UN side events in New York, key issues and pathways of collaboration were discussed under the two main pillars of action for the UfM, namely Sustainable Development and Human Development. The exchanges focused on joint effort on the Climate Action front, challenges related to the Future of Work and Education, Financing for Development, Women’s Full Socio-Economic Participation, as well as the importance of Dialogue for bridging gaps and harmonizing development efforts. 

The general debate of the General Assembly opened on 24 September 2019, this edition’s theme being “Galvanizing multilateral efforts for poverty eradication, quality education, climate action and inclusion”.  

The United Nations General Assembly adopted in December 2015 a resolution granting observer status to the Union for the Mediterranean, at the initiative of Jordan, Co-President of the Union for the Mediterranean (along with the EU), and with the support of the UfM Member States. This came as another international support to the UfM’s global role as a driving force for regional cooperation and integration in the Mediterranean.