7 April 2020. This year, on World Health Day, we celebrate the work of nurses and midwives, and recall the critical role they play in keeping the world healthy. From China to Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa and beyond, unprecedented and firm policy measures have been taken to limit the rapid spread of the COVID-19. In the meantime, scientific, medical and pharmaceutical communities across the globe have stepped-up their efforts to deliver treatments and care for the sick. Restlessly, they have been providing high quality treatment and care, leading community dialogue to address fears and interrogations and, in some instances, collecting data for clinical studies. Put… read more
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Arancha González Laya, and the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel met today in Madrid to discuss ways to strengthen regional cooperation under the framework of the UfM. They signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the Union for the Mediterranean to promote joint cooperation initiatives in priority sectors for the region linked to the sustainable development agenda. March 11, 2020. Spanish Foreign Minister González Laya and UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel took stock and analysed the future… read more
Geneva, 27-28 January 2020. Following UfM’s commitment to contributing to a greater economic integration in the Mediterranean, UfM Secretary General (SG), Nasser Kamel, held bilateral meetings in Geneva with Roberto Azevêdo, Director General of WTO, Mukhisa Kituyi , Secretary General of UNCTAD, Seth Nikhil, Executive Director of UNITAR, and OIga Algayerová, Executive Secretary of UNECE. On his first meeting with Roberto Azevêdo, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), SG Kamel provided a background on the trade-related UfM scope of action, which includes the deepening of the South-South economic integration and a strengthening of the Euro-Mediterranean trade partnership, inter alia… read more
The plenary Session of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) gathered over 100 representatives of local and regional authorities at the UfM headquarters in Barcelona. The annual meeting of ARLEM centered its debates on action against Climate Change in the Mediterranean Barcelona, 23 January 2020. The 11th Plenary Session of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) gathered over 100 representatives of local and regional authorities at the UfM headquarters in Barcelona with climate action at the centre of the debates. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, welcomed participants to the UfM headquarters and recalled the launching, 25 years ago, of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, which laid the foundations for the… read more
Barcelona, 18 December 2019. The Senior Officials of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) endorsed today the program ENI CBC Med, whose aim is to reinforce the impact of funded projects across the Mediterranean region through the creation of four thematic clusters of projects: environment and climate change, business and SMEs development, technological transfer and innovation and social inclusion and fight against poverty. This meeting of Senior Officials was the last one of the year 2019 and the opportunity to push forward cooperation and synergies for 2020. The encounter was the chance to discuss a number of other issues, such… read more
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) held the 1st Annual Conference on Water Investment and Financing in the framework of the MED – Mediterranean Dialogues, held in Rome on 5-6 December. With current policies, 250 million people are projected to be considered water-poor by 2025. Through its regional Water Agenda, the UfM seeks to support its Member States in achieving a sustainable and integrated water management while securing financial sustainability for the water sector. The UfM Secretary General today will brief the audience on the main recommendations as well as on the geopolitical implications of climate change. Rome, 6th December 2019. The UfM… read more
Nicosia, 2 December 2019. Upon the invitation of Nikos Christodoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, paid his first official visit to Nicosia, in the framework of his outreach to the UfM member states. During their meeting, Secretary General Kamel expressed his appreciation to the Minister for the determination of his Government to continue to play an active and constructive role within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean. On his side, Minister Christodoulides expressed the value and potential he sees in the very promising relationship between Cyprus and the UfM…. read more
Barcelona, 19 November 2019. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, was received on Tuesday 19 November 2019 by Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona, host city of the UfM Secretariat. During their first meeting since her re-election last April, SG Kamel took the opportunity to commend Mayor Colau on her ambitious programmes for the city, reiterating the importance of cities and local governments in pushing forward inclusive and sustainable development agendas, localizing the Sustainable Development Goals. Kamel further highlighted the UfM Secretariat readiness to further enhance its action at local level, notably to address more effectively the climate emergency faced across the… read more
The Union for the Mediterranean hosted the annual coordination meeting of regional organisations on 13 November 2019, and called for increased synergies to tackle the pressing challenges faced in the Euro-Mediterranean region, notably the climate emergency which disproportionately affects the area. Barcelona, 13 November 2019. The Union for the Mediterranean is an active member of the coordination group of intergovernmental organisations operating across the Euro-Mediterranean region. It hosted on Wednesday 13 November its 2019 Annual Meeting, with the aim of guaranteeing the complementarity of their work and the pursue of their mutual objectives with better results and greater impacts. Representatives… read more
The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, participated in the XV Conference of the Mediterranean Commission of the European League for Economic Cooperation (ELEC) under the title “Promoting Blue Tourism in the Mediterranean”, which took place in Palma de Mallorca (Spain) on 30-31 October 2019. Palma de Mallorca, 30-31 October 2019. The Conference on “Promoting Blue Tourism in the Mediterranean” brought together over 80 stakeholders from the Tourism and Blue Economy Sectors on both sides of the Euro-Mediterranean Region, presenting an occasion for exchanging views, ideas, best practices and success stories in the field. The discussions focused on the role of… read more
