News

The award ceremony of the UfM Student Competition on Urban Design 2023: Urban Solutions to Climate Change in the Mediterranean took place in Barcelona on January 17, with Istanbul’s Özyeğin University students scooping the €5,000 first-place prize for their exploration of the coexistence of water and life in Türkiye’s Lake Amik basin. An ENSA Marseille student was the runner-up for her proposal transforming a post-industrial area in southern France into a sustainable development park, while Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya students came in third for their project transforming a degraded coastal territory in northeastern Spain into a water retention landscape to… read more

Foreign Affairs Ministers of the 43 Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) gathered today in Barcelona for the 8th UfM Regional Forum. The critical situation in Israel and Gaza-Palestine as well as the consequences this is having across the region were discussed. The event was chaired by Josep Borrell, the High Representative of Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, and Ayman Safadi, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan. It was hosted by José Manuel Albares, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation… read more

14-15 September 2023, Trieste – Organised by the European House/Ambrosetti Forum, the first edition of the forum Risorsa Mare was organised in collaboration with the Italian Ministry for Civil Protection and Sea Policies. The Secretary General was invited to exchange with Roberta Giani (Editor-in-chief, Il Piccolo), in a session on the economic, social and geopolitical challenges of the Euro-Afro-Asian Basin. During his intervention, SG Kamel underlined the main challenges faced in the Euro-Mediterranean area, namely the regional integration and the economic crisis, social inequalities, and the climate emergency. He further noted that these three challenges, which gravely impact the region,… read more

16-21 September 2023, New York –  UfM Secretary-General Nasser Kamel attended the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he highlighted the Union for the Mediterranean’s initiatives and solidified its partnerships with key UN institutions and agencies, including the UNDP. He also held meetings with several Foreign Affairs Ministers from Member States. The theme of the general debate this year was “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all.” António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, inaugurated the General Assembly… read more

Led by the Government of Italy, in collaboration with the UfM and PRIMA, a session on the Mediterranean Diet and its lessons for the world, was held on 24 July in Rome, in the framework of the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment. On its margins, UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel participated as well in the high-level 4th Annual Summit of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East (ECAM). 24 July 2023, Rome – The UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment took place in Rome, Italy from 24 to 26 July 2023, at the premises… read more

The UfM High-Level Meeting on Skills in the Mediterranean recognized that the region has one of the youngest populations in the world and that skills are critical to leveraging the youth’s potential for bringing innovation and digitalisation to the dynamics of recovery, economic growth, decent work and social inclusion. Skilling, upskilling and reskilling boost employability, inclusiveness, competitiveness and growth, allowing to better address the challenges of technological and non-technological transformations such as green transition, demographic change, and digitalisation of the economy in the region, as well as addressing persistent issues of skill gaps and mismatches. Madrid, 12 July 2023.  The… read more

EIB Global and Union for the Mediterranean host high-level MED conference to unlock future high-impact investment across the region More than 200 government, business, banking and civil society leaders attend first MED conference since COVID New business financing in Tunisia and Jordan confirmed The European Investment Bank has provided nearly EUR 3 billion to support of transformational public and private investment across the southern Mediterranean region since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Details of recent support for new investment to strengthen economic resilience and food security, improve health and education, increase clean energy use and sustainable transport and accelerate climate action… read more

7-8 July 2023, Dubrovnik – UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, attended and spoke at the 16th edition of the Dubrovnik Forum 2023, entitled “Navigating the global reshuffle”, upon invitation by Mr. Gordon Grlic Radman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia. The Secretary General participated in the panel “The Mediterranean and Beyond: Strengthening the Bonds,” presenting UfM’s position on regional and global contexts. The focus was on promoting regional cooperation through concrete projects to address geopolitical and economic changes. Key topics discussed included migration, climate change, and economic integration. The Secretary General also highlighted the progress of regional integration in the… read more

Co-organized by the UfM Secretariat, Sciences Po Aix, the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Economy, Secretary General Nasser Kamel opened the event held in the historical building of the French University. In his opening speech, Secretary General Nasser Kamel discussed the unexploited potential of economic integration for the Euro-Mediterranean region and highlighted the Janus-faced character of the regionalization of the value chain in the Mediterranean, filled with both challenges and opportunities. Aix en Provence. 2 June 2023 – UfM Secretary General opened the conference jointly organized by the UfM, Sciences Po Aix, the Délégation interministérielle à la Méditerranée… read more

The UfM Secretary-General was a guest speaker at the Opening Ceremony of the Euro-Med Economic & Banking Summit 2023.  This was the occasion for him to share his views on economic sustainability in the Euro-Mediterranean region and to recall the role of the UfM in tackling climate change.  Secretary-General Kamel partook in several bilateral meetings, including with with Mrs. Catherine Colonna, French Minister of European and Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Hélène Le Gal, Managing Director for MENA at EEAS, Mr. Karim Amellal, Ambassador for the Mediterranean and UfM Senior Official, and Mr. Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser, and Sherpa to the President… read more