The Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) held a virtual meeting to exchange on the upcoming activities of the organization, especially within the current context, and in the framework of the 25th anniversary of the Barcelona Process. The UfM Senior Officials endorsed a regional initiative to accelerate innovative sustainable urban development projects, thereby contributing to a post pandemic recovery which is also respectful of the environment. Barcelona, 18 June 2020. The Member States of the UfM met virtually today at the level of Senior Officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. They endorsed a new regional initiative to support sustainable… read more
Research and innovation (R&I) are key priorities for the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), contributing to enhance regional cooperation and dialogue in order to promote human development, regional stability and integration in the Mediterranean. The 25th meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Research and Innovation took place online to further discuss the region’s future priorities for research and innovation in times of COVID-19 8 June 2020, Barcelona. The 25th meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean Regional Platform on Research and Innovation took place to discuss the region’s future priorities for research and innovation, in particular the needs in a… read more
Around 80 percent of global trade is transported by commercial shipping and intra-Mediterranean maritime trade flows account for nearly 25% of global traffic volume. The maritime industry is playing an essential role in the short-term emergency response to the COVID-19, by facilitating transport of vital commodities and products. Despite the current difficult times, a vast majority of ports have succeeded to stay open to cargo operations. However, most of them still remain closed to passenger traffic. Mid and long-term recovery will need to further enhance sustainability and resilience of the maritime transport sector as a whole, for sustaining jobs, international… read more
32 Mediterranean species are already known to be globally extinct, or extinct in the wild. Mega fires caused by climate change have destroyed record areas of forest in recent years and damaged biodiversity. Areas susceptible to fires could increase by up to 40% with just a 1.5°C increase in temperature. The Union for the Mediterranean promotes and supports studies and projects in the region to halt biodiversity losses and achieve sustainable and inclusive growth for the post coronavirus recovery. https://ufmsecretariat.org//wp-content/uploads/2020/05/biodiversity-02.mp4 21 May 2020. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) joins the celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity as an excellent opportunity to increase awareness on biodiversity issues in the… read more
The Union for the Mediterranean launches a new initiative with the support of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), for universities, research centres and policymakers to share best practices and boost career opportunities in the Mediterranean region. The new initiative seeks to improve the nexus between research, innovation and employability as key tools for relaunching sustainable and resilient economies in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.. 5 and 19 May 2020. Despite young people in the Southern Mediterranean being the most educated generation ever, graduates in the region still experience the highest level of unemployment, at 25% according to the United Nations Development Programme. To help galvanise innovation in the region, the… read more
The first UfM webinar gathered different youth representatives to highlight the Euro-Mediterranean Youth voluntary response during the Coronavirus crisis 14 May 2020. How are youth volunteers responding to COVID-19? How are local or regional organisations in the Euro-Mediterranean region mobilizing youth to respond to the pandemic? To answer these questions and many more, the UfM gathered different youth voluntary organisers including international, regional and local organisations and NGOs from the ufM Member States. The webinar called “the Euro-Mediterranean Youth voluntary response to the COVID-19 crisis” saw the opening of the UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel who stressed the fact that… read more
The ANIMA Investment Network, in collaboration with the UfM and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), is holding this month a series of workshops to help develop investments that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Mediterranean region. 28 April 2020. Increasing investments that contribute to the SDGs can be a development enabler: it can create jobs, build skills, spur innovation, provide essential infrastructure and services and boost economies. The ANIMA Investment Network, in collaboration with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) as well as other partners, organised the first session of the online workshop called “Developing Investments that Contribute to… read more
The UfM, the Mediterranean Water Institute (IME) and the Energy and Water Agency of Malta held a meeting to prepare for the 2020 Mediterranean Water Forum. The meeting aimed to further advance a regional strategy for action on water in line with the 2021 World Water Forum’s objectives. 21 April 2020. The 1st steering committee, organised by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the Mediterranean Water Institute (IME) and the Energy and Water Agency of Malta, gathered online 27 water stakeholders to prepare key points of discussion for the 4th Mediterranean Water Forum, which is foreseen on the 11-13 of November 2020 in Malta. Participants agreed the Forum will provide a… read more
8 April 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic is prompting questions for the water supply and sanitation sector globally and with a special focus on the Mediterranean, already under stress due to the water scarcity caused by the climate crisis. The UfM and the Institut Méditerranéen de l’Eau (IME) met online for the first brainstorming session on the water, sanitation and COVID19, along with 25 partners and experts from Lebanon, Spain, France, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. This is the first of a series of meetings to exchange views on the water emergency response to the pandemic as well as to give policy recommendations on how to move forward. … read more
UfM Member States met this week to discuss actions to tackle the COVID-19 crisis through research and innovation as well as a strategic regional cooperation approach to accelerate evidence-based healthcare decision-making. 8 April 2020. Conscious of the pressure that COVID-19 puts on health systems, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is exploring ways to speed and scale-up actions in the field of research and innovation. This was the objective of the virtual meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Research and Innovation, held earlier this week. The wide spectrum of initiatives announced by the European Commission and UfM Member States showed the potential for regional cooperation in terms of establishing collaborative platforms, clinical data collection and access, creation of common databases on technologies and joint development of industrial research solutions and medical treatments/vaccines. The need for a strategic regional cooperation approach regarding the socio-economic implications was also underlined. UfM Secretary General,… read more