8 october 2020. The 4th UfM Social Dialogue Forum, which has been held virtually, focused on current and future priorities and challenges for social dialogue in the UfM countries, in the presence of experts from the UfM Secretariat, the European Commission, the International Labour Organisation and other regional organisations. The Forum started with two parallel bilateral North-South sessions of the employers’ and workers’ organisations. During the two-day meeting, the 4th UfM Social Dialogue Forum gathered 117 participants who addressed the main key-issues of the Euro-Mediterranean Labour Market in times of Covid-19, the Role of Social Dialogue in addressing Migration and brain-drain… read more
5-6 October 2020, Madrid. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel and Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya met today in Madrid to discuss the preparations of the 5th UfM Regional Forum, that will gather the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the UfM Member States in Barcelona by the end of this year. Building on the success of the first four editions, the Forum will provide the opportunity to take stock and analyse the future prospects for cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean region, exactly 25 years after the launch of the Barcelona Process, which paved the way for the creation of the Union for the Mediterranean in 2008. The Forum will be presided by the Co-Presidency of the Union for the Mediterranean, assumed by the High Representative of… read more
30 September 2020 – The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) signed on 30 September 2020 a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) where they reassert their common ambition to support ongoing and political reforms in the Southern and eastern Mediterranean countries. Jointly contributing to the development of an area of peace, stability, democracy and prosperity in the Mediterranean is of outmost importance for the two institutions that reaffirm their willingness to work together in the areas of business, social and civil affairs, energy, water, development, transport, higher education and research. Transition toward a… read more
VIENNA, September 21, 2020 – The Principality of Monaco has recently signed its first funding agreement with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the two parties have agreed a tripartite declaration together with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) on empowering women in Tunisia through inclusive and sustainable industrial development. At a meeting today LI Yong, Director General of UNIDO, and Isabelle Rosabrunetto, Director General of the Department of External Relations and Cooperation of the Principality of Monaco, confirmed the strong willingness of the partners to collaborate further in this field. Li recalled that “the empowerment of women is a… read more
15 July 2020. The coronavirus has challenged the core of what makes cities vibrant and successful: busy streets full of people. Will these cities ever come back to be the same? The webinar on Euro-Mediterranean cities in the post-pandemic era, organised by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in cooperation with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre reflected on sustainable urban development in the Mediterranean region after COVID-19, climate change, cultural heritage, and on the approach of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape. The event was opened by the UfM Secretary-General, Nasser Kamel, chaired by the Deputy Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Dr Jyoti Hosagrahar, and structured around a conversation with Prof. Richard Sennett, Senior Fellow at the Centre on Capitalism and Society at… read more
The Diplomatic Academy in Vienna gave the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) the opportunity to share its vision of how the region must look in the future as the UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, participated in discussions that explored what a post-pandemic world might look like. Vienna, 1 July 2020. The conference ‘From Victory Day to Corona Disarray: 75 years of Europe’s Collective Security and Human Rights System’ was co-organised by the International Institute for Middle East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES) and the EU media platform Modern Diplomacy to underline how the post-COVID 19 world is a near yet unchartered future… read more
The social economy is an enterprise model based on participatory management, the primacy of people over capital, and where profits are reinvested. It is a key player in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and in reducing inequalities in the Euro-Mediterranean region The social economy currently consists a total of 3.2 million enterprises and 15 million jobs in the EU and eight southern Mediterranean countries The Union for the Mediterranean, the European Commission and national governments came together to promote and develop the social economy sector in the Mediterranean, in dialogue with key organisations and stakeholders Barcelona, 26 June 2020. The… read more
The Spanish Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Ángeles Moreno Bau, and the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, met today to discuss the progress of the Desalination Facility for the Gaza Strip project, with the Palestinian Minister of Water, Mazen Ghunaim, in a virtual meeting. During the meeting, Spain unveils 1 Million euros of financing for the construction of a Desalination Facility for the Gaza Strip The desalination plant will supply drinking water to 2 million Palestinian inhabitants, thereby ensuring a sustainable solution for the chronic and longstanding water shortage and humanitarian crisis in… read more
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
