The 2nd UfM Ministerial Conference on Transport took place online on 9 February 2023. A new Regional Transport Action Plan was endorsed by the UfM Ministers, that will reinvigorate multilateral cooperation in this sector until 2027 and unlock an important potential in the economic and social development in the region in the years ahead. Transport is a vital “enabler” in sustainable development, with transport-related targets included in eight out of the seventeen SDGs. Transport is also a multiplier in the economic development of any country and an important component of regional integration in the Mediterranean. Barcelona, 9 February 2023. On… read more
Building on the outcomes of the UfM Ministerial Conference on Research and Innovation held in June 2022, the UfM co-organised an event on the ‘International Cooperation in Research and Innovation (R&I) for Mediterranean resilience – Launch of Mediterranean Initiative: Horizon Europe WP 2023-2024’, together with the European Commission and the EU Delegation in Cairo. The Mediterranean Initiative included in the Horizon Europe Work Programme brings new significant opportunities for Mediterranean research stakeholders Cairo, 30-31 January 2023. For the first time ever, the Horizon Europe 2022-2023 programme is foreseeing a “Mediterranean Initiative”. This series of R&I calls, open to Mediterranean countries… read more
A high-level mission on Agriculture, Agri-food, and Food Security to Egypt was held in January 2023, as a follow-up on the Mediterranean Ministerial Dialogue on the Food Crisis of December 2022, co-chaired by Italy, Turkey, and Lebanon, at the margins of the Rome MED Dialogue. It was led by the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, and the Minister of Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini. A meeting was also organized with Egyptian President Abdel Fatha El-Sisi as well as Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly. The goal was to support the PRIMA initiative, by scaling… read more
UfM Member States gather in Barcelona to advance regional cooperation in response to regional crises
Today, Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) gathered in Barcelona for the 7h UfM Regional Forum, held in the framework of the Day of the Mediterranean. Foreign Affairs Ministers unanimously endorsed a declaration on the accession of North Macedonia to the Union for the Mediterranean. Young people coming from civil society organizations from across the Euro-Mediterranean region, presented their expectations and recommendations to the Foreign Affairs Ministers with a view to developing concrete solutions for a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous Mediterranean. Ministers approved the launch of the regional initiative “Mediterranean Capitals of Culture”. Two… read more
The Ministers in charge of gender equality from the 42 countries of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) endorsed today in Madrid a Ministerial Declaration to accelerate the strengthening of women’s role in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The Ministers agreed to enhance legal frameworks, improve women’s access to leadership in public life and decision-making, raise women´s participation in economic life and combat and prevent violence against women and girls. The regional High-Level Conference on Women for the Mediterranean, held every two years, will kick-off this afternoon in Madrid. It will gather over 100 high-level representatives and international experts to discuss operational… read more
13 October 2022, Dead Sea – Jordan. For their third meeting of 2022, UfM Senior Officials convened at the Dead Sea in Jordan, which holds the Co-Presidency of the organisation since 2012. Ayman Safadi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom greeted the UfM member states’ representatives and shared with them his views on the evolution of Euro-Mediterranean challenges and relations in the past decade, and the role the UfM can and must have in this framework. “The Union for the Mediterranean is one of the few fora that gives Euro-Mediterranean countries the… read more
Barcelona, 27-29 September 2022. In the framework of a cooperation agreement, the annual meetings between Sweden’s government agency for development cooperation, Sida, and the UfMS were held in Barcelona from the 27th to the 29th of September at the UfM Secretariat premises in Barcelona. The meeting served to present the UfM mission and the UfM Secretariat work methodology, give an overview on the main achievements of the Sida – UfM Secretariat Partnership and discuss the new features of the extended cooperation agreement. The cooperation agreement renewed in December 2021 for the period 2022-2025 is moving from an operating grant to a programmatic… read more
Barcelona, 29 September 2022. The Conference on “Sustainable Urbanisation through Port City Transformation” was held in Barcelona on 28 and 29 September 2022, and it provided a unique opportunity for representatives of Mediterranean ports and adjacent cities, government representatives, and other key regional and international stakeholders to discuss sustainable urbanisation through port city transformation. The Conference underlined, once more, the importance of stronger dialogue and working relationship between ports and port cities as well as with governments and other stakeholders in general with a view to realizing urban development visions in port cities. The UfM, in the upcoming period, intends… read more
18-22 September 2022, New York. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, attended the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly where he showcased the work of the Union for the Mediterranean and met with Ministers for Foreign Affairs of different Member states, namely Algeria, Morocco, Estonia, Slovenia, Hungary, Monaco and Egypt, as well as representatives from other international organizations such as the World Bank, OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), UNAOC (United Nations Alliance of Civilizations) and the Council of Europe. On Monday, 19 September, the SG attended the High-Level Summit on Transforming Education convened in response to… read more
27-28 June 2022, Lisbon The UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel attended the UN Ocean Summit where he showcased the work of the Union for the Mediterranean on the protection of the Mediterranean Sea and environment. The Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal, comes at a critical time as the world is seeking to address many of the deep-rooted problems of our societies laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic and which will require major structural transformations and common shared solutions that are anchored in the SDGs. The SG took the opportunity to meet with the recently appointed Minister of… read more
