The UfM and the Anna Lindh Foundation support the advocacy of 200 young people on the future of the region

• The France Mediterranean forum (Forum des mondes méditerranéens) brought together 1,000 participants from around the Mediterranean, around 25 workshops and a civil society village for 2 days in Marseille. A exchange on the work done by 200 young people from the region on “Mediterranean Advocacy 2030”, with the Secretary General of the UfM and the President of the Anna Lindh Foundation took place on the eve of the Forum.
• The closing ceremony gave the youth rapporteur time to present the conclusions of the workshops, for the Minister Franck Riester, the European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, the President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, Princess Rym Ali, and Secretary General of UfM, Nasser Kamel.
• The Union for the Mediterranean, with more than 6 Mediterranean partners, signed an agreement to set up a climate fund, the “PAMEx Local Invest Finance Facility”

Marseille, February 8, 2022. Organised by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, on an initiative of the President of the French Republic, the France Mediterranean forum was held in Marseille in the last two days. Following on from the Summit des deux rives (2019), this event brought together nearly 1,000 participants from the Euro-Mediterranean region around topics such as the environment, education, employment, entrepreneurship, inclusion and solidarity, culture, territorial action, and sustainable development.

The Forum future a program around workshops and in particular the restitution of the “Mediterranean Advocacy 2030”, drawn up by more than 200 young people from twenty Mediterranean countries that gathered suggestions from working groups coordinated by Expertise France. It was presented to the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel and the President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, Princess Rym Ali. They praised the very high quality and relevance of the work done and underlined the possible synergies between some of the proposals and programs that already exist within the two organisations. The UfM Secretary General said that the Secretariat will promote the integration of representatives of the working groups in its regional dialogue platforms.

Nasser Kamel, Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean: “Mediterranean youth suffer from many ills, as we face one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, in one of the regions most affected by climate change. But this youth is proactive and committed. We wish to bring to the regional level their proposals heard during this Forum. The Union for the Mediterranean will continue to advocate to ensure real inclusion but also to strengthen the consensus around the preservation of what the Mediterranean people have most precious to offer and share: The richness of the diversity of their nature and their cultures.”

Princess Rym Ali, President of the Anna Lindh Foundation: “Intercultural dialogue requires respect for others and results in mutual enrichment, because we are inevitably linked by a common humanity and a common destiny around this Mediterranean basin which is so dear to us. With the conviction that intercultural dialogue has the power to offer concrete links within our region, the Foundation is committed to carrying out concrete actions, based on ethical and humanist values, to support this vibrant, active and inspiration so well stimulated in this Mediterranean Worlds Forum.”

The UfM Member States adopted in December 2021 the very first UfM Youth Strategy, which devotes a place for young people as actors and full partners of the UfM in its mandate and action. The closing ceremony allowed for presentation of the conclusion on the workshops for the French Minister Franck Riester, the European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, the President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, Princess Rym Ali, and Secretary General of the UfM, Nasser Kamel .

The Forum was also the occasion for the launch of the PAMEx Local Invest Finance Facility (PLIFF), during one of the forum’s conference co-organized by the UfM on Climate Finance in the region. This new fund aims to support Mediterranean regional and local authorities to invest in concrete low-carbon infrastructure projects that are resilient to climate change, notably through partnerships with local private companies.

Its implementation will ultimately strengthen the concrete contributions and commitments of Mediterranean countries to the achievement of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The consortium will be able to launch the first investments during the UNFCCC COP27 which will take place in November 2022 in Egypt. This fund is the result of a partnership between the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Union for the Mediterranean, the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan, UNEP Plan Bleu, the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN), Gold Standard, R20 – Regions for Climate Action, and financial institutions gathered to launch the “Action Plan for an Exemplary Mediterranean 2030 (PAMEx 2030)”.

As part of this international event, the Secretary General of the UfM also opened a conference on the challenges of Mediterranean Ports in terms of reducing the impact of port activities on the environment, and training in maritime professions, organized by the MEDports association and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region on February 8, 2022.