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:
