UfM and EMUNI deliver a series of webinars on Science Diplomacy and Sustainability

16 December 2022. Barcelona and Piran. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) have recently concluded the webinar series “Science Diplomacy for Sustainable Development in the Mediterranean Region”, which promoted the recently endorsed UfM Agendas on Research and Innovation as a tool for scientific cooperation in the Mediterranean . The first webinar kicked off on 12 December with ‘Scientific Cooperation for Sustainable Regional Development’  open to all R&I stakeholders in the Mediterranean.

Alvaro Albacete Perea, Deputy Secretary General for Higher Education and Research at the UfM and Prof. Dr. Abdelhamid El-Zoheiry, the EMUNI President inaugurated the event, with a keynote speech delivered by Maria Cristina Russo, Director of Global Approach and International Cooperation, DG Research and Innovation of the European Commission.

The webinar featured a session providing lengthy examination of the key areas in the context of the UfM Agenda and roadmaps on health, climate change and renewable energy.

The second training webinar “Skills for Science Policy Interface” ran on 14 December for which, with selected stakeholders invited in a more interactive format based on skill development, namely on “Identifying Needs, Engaging with Policy Makers and Scientists”, “Producing Relevant Scientific Evidence”, and “Communicating at the Science-Policy Interface”.

Science Diplomacy is not a new initiative, but has received strong impetus in recent years, and is closely connected with culture and economic diplomacy. These areas must be approached holistically in order to realise cross-border and region-wide cooperation.

A short video of the event is available below: