First annual celebration of the Day of the Mediterranean

• 28th of November 2021 had marked the first annual celebration of the Day of the Mediterranean, recognising Mediterranean culture, cooperation and embracing the rich diversity of the region.
• Home to more than 480 million people living across three continents, with a coastline of 46,000 km, the Mediterranean region offers an unparalleled wealth of human and natural diversity.
• More than 50 events and initiatives have been held across the region to celebrate this first edition. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) hosted a Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and a Conference on Regional Integration on 29 November.
• The UfM launched the “Mediterranean in 1 word” campaign calling all citizens to reflect on our shared identity, our origins and what unites us as Mediterranean people and chose 1 word to define the Mediterranean. A trailer video and raw footage are ready to use by broadcasting media to announce this international day and the campaign.
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On the 28th of November 2021, the newly created Day of the Mediterranean had been celebrated for the first time with the aim of recognising Mediterranean culture, embracing the rich diversity of the region and act as a call for all the countries of the basin to cooperate together.

Different personalities from all walks of life have participated in the “Mediterranean in 1 word” campaign by sharing the one word they would use to describe the Mediterranean region. The list includes the explorer Bertrand Piccard, the violinist Ara Malikian, the Nobel Peace Prize Ouided Bouchamaoui and the singer Noa, among others. A trailer video and raw footage are ready to use by broadcasters to inform about this newly created international Day and the campaign.

In the framework of the celebrations, the 6th Regional Forum of the UfM took place on 29 November 2021 in Barcelona. The Forum gathered the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the 42 UfM Member States and was chaired by the UfM Co-Presidency, assumed by the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, and by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Ayman Safadi. The Forum preceded, on the same day also in Barcelona, a European Union-Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial Meeting to review the progress in the implementation of the new Agenda for the Mediterranean.

“The Mediterranean is our home and our livelihood, our history and our future,” said UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel. “We’re facing great challenges as a region but we also hold great potential, and the Day of the Mediterranean is a fantastic opportunity to rejoice in all that we have done and can do if we work together.”

Commemorating the anniversary of the Barcelona Process, which launched the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership on this date in 1995, the Day shined a spotlight on regional achievements and initiatives undertaken by governments, international and regional organisations, international finance institutions, development agencies, civil society and private sector organisations – anyone and everyone working to enhance cooperation and integration in the area.

In 2020, the 42 Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) declared the 28th of November as the official Day of the Mediterranean, to be marked annually. As stated in the official conclusion of the 5th Regional Forum, “with the objective to foster a common Mediterranean identity and increase the visibility and ownership of regional cooperation, the Day of the Mediterranean will provide the opportunity to hold cultural events across the region with a view to strengthening ties, promoting intercultural exchanges and dialogue and embracing the diversity of the region.”