UfM conference fosters game-changing digital transformation in the Euro-Mediterranean region
- The UfM Conference on Digital Transformation took place on December 18, 2023 in Tangier, focusing on the development of digital ecosystems across the region and their potential to accelerate the green transition.
- The Union for the Mediterranean has been actively engaged in promoting digital connectivity, skills, and innovation in Member States, especially since the first UfM Conference on Digital Transformation in Tallinn in 2019.
18 December 2023, Tangier – The Union for the Mediterranean partnered with the German Development Cooperation and the AfricaMed Business Forum to hold the UfM Conference on Digital Transformation, which focused on the role of digital transformation in promoting the green transition and developing digital ecosystems in the UfM region. The conference was part of the UfM Roadmap on Employment and Labour 2022-2025 and was co-sponsored by the European Union.
The event brought together a broad spectrum of partners and stakeholders from both shores of the Mediterranean to exchange insights and best practices on the current opportunities and challenges to unleashing the full potential of digitalisation in the region. Recommendations emanating from the event will guide future actions in this priority area in the region. Experiences from Albania, Bosnia, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Morocco and Spain were shared.
Digital transformation is a game-changer not only for individual economies, but also for the region as a whole as it can contribute significantly to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. In the Ministerial Declaration emanating from the 2022 UfM Ministerial on Employment and Labour in Marrakech, the Member States expressed their willingness to “explore pathways for accelerating digital transformation as a vehicle for the creation of more decent jobs, economic growth, and an important vector of innovation and creativity.”
The lack of digital infrastructure and digital skills, however, are major impediments to reaping the benefits of this transformation. Reverting this is key as the World Economic Forum has estimated that 85 million jobs may be displaced by 2025 due to a shift in the division of labour, while 97 million new positions that are more adapted to it may emerge. The UfM has, as a result, organised several technical training sessions on digitalisation and e-governance in the Southern Mediterranean to promote these fields.
