UNIDO and UfM to promote inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development in the region
Vienna, 22 May 2015 – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) will work closely to identify joint opportunities to advance inclusive and sustainable development in countries of the Mediterranean region.
An agreement on this was signed in Vienna today by LI Yong, the Director General of UNIDO, and Fathallah Sijilmassi, Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Under the new partnership, the two organisations will jointly focus on developing and implementing integrated projects and activities for business development, youth employability, women’s empowerment, energy-efficiency, water, environment and climate change. They will also provide guidance and recommendations to governments in the countries of the Mediterranean.
The two entities are already cooperating at project level. The EU-Italy funded project “Development of clusters in cultural and creative industries in the South Mediterranean region”, being implemented by UNIDO, covers seven countries of the region: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia.
The project received the official label of the Union for the Mediterranean in June 2014. The Secretariat and UNIDO are partnering towards the establishment of a regional platform to foster entrepreneurial cooperation among cultural and creative industries and clusters in the Southern Mediterranean, thereby strengthening and further developing the project’s regional dimension.
These joint activities will deliver a platform for dialogue, exchange of experiences and dissemination of best practices within the cultural and creative business field. It will have a particular focus on youth and gender affairs. Furthermore, it will leverage the potential of the cultural and creative industries as well as promote new employment opportunities and inclusive growth in the region.
In alignment with the conclusions of the 9th UfM Ministerial Meeting on Industrial Cooperation, held in Brussels on 19 February 2014, the UfM Secretariat is striving to advance projects and initiatives aimed at fostering entrepreneurial cooperation, leveraging the potential of the cultural and creative industries, and promoting new employment opportunities and inclusive growth in the Southern Mediterranean region.
