16 July 2021, Barcelona. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel and European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice-President Ricardo Mourinho Félix met virtually to discuss the UfM-EIB strategic partnership for the development of the Mediterranean area. The EIB is a very active partner in the region, contributing with advice and financing to significant investment programs. The meeting, which touched upon strengthening resilience and building prosperity in the region through digital and green transitions, focused on promoting climate resilience, and energy and environmental sustainability. The Secretary General and Vice-President Mourinho Félix discussed environmental and climate action, as well as the topics of Blue Economy investment… read more
12 July, Barcelona. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Secretary General Nasser Kamel met with the President of the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), Prof. Abdelhamid El-Zoheiry, to reaffirm the UfM’s commitment to the institution. EMUNI conducts accredited study programmes and quality research serving Euro-Mediterranean interests and addressing regional challenges, as well as contributing to a dynamic network of higher education and research institutions as an inclusive platform for inter-cultural dialogue and science diplomacy in the region. Prof. El-Zoheiry also met the UfM Higher Education and Research Division team to discuss the implementation of the UfM’s commitments to the University. In particular,… read more
10 July 2021, Dubrovnik. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, participated on the 9th and 10th of July in the 14th edition of the Dubrovnik Forum, held under the title “(Post)-Pandemic Geopolitics – Together in a World Apart”. The Forum was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, alongside the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković. The high-level event brought together around 200 participants in physical format, among others many Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the region, as well as representatives of international and regional… read more
Barcelona, 5 July 2021. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel and Dr. Khalida Bouzar, UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator & Regional Director for the Arab States met today in the headquarters of the UfM in Barcelona to discuss further cooperation between the UfM Secretariat and the UNDP. Both the UfM and the UNDP focus on further integrating economies through the promotion of trade and investment, encouraging climate action and sustainable models for growth, and supporting digital transformation whilst maintaining engagement on both women’s empowerment and employment, especially amongst young people. The Secretary General highlighted areas where both organizations are active and it was decided… read more
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and Mobile World Capital Barcelona signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their collaboration and partnership on addressing the digital needs and challenges in the Euro-Mediterranean Region. The UfM region has witnessed a growing digital divide between and within both shores of the Mediterranean, with an alarming digital skills gap in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, and a dire need to bolster digital connectivity and entrepreneurship. Barcelona, 1 July 2021. Within the framework of the MWC Barcelona 2021, the UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel and Mobile World Capital Chief Executive Officer Carlos Grau signed… read more
30 June 2021, Barcelona. The Conference of the Governors of Mediterranean Central Banks took place online on 28 June 2021. Organised by the Banco de España, the Central Bank of Tunisia, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), the conference tackled the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis across the Euro-Mediterranean area and a sustainable, inclusive, green and digital development agenda. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced governments across the Mediterranean to take severe measures to curtail socioeconomic activities, which has caused a substantial economic slowdown in many countries of the region. In… read more
22 Juny 2021. Regional cooperation efforts in the fields of higher education, research and innovation play an essential role in achieving a positive agenda for the youth in the Mediterranean because of their potential on increasing employability and promoting intercultural dialogue. With this in mind, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) launched a regional dialogue process on the internationalisation of higher education in the Mediterranean region, in which internationalisation is not understood as a goal by itself, but a process aimed at enhancing the quality and standards of education and research. This dialogue intends to facilitate continuous peer learning among… read more
17 June 2021. UfM member states met on 17 June 2021 to review the activities of the UfM Secretariat in the first semester of 2021 and discuss the preparation of the post-Covid19 recovery across the Euro-Mediterranean region. They notably discussed the future Research and Innovation agenda of the UfM Regional Platform on Research and Innovation, with focus on climate change, renewable energy and health, as well as the UfM Employment and Labour agenda. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UfM Secretariat launched the UfM Grant Scheme for employment promotion that will actively support non-profit organizations in the Mediterranean that… read more
The Ministers of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in charge of Energy gathered for their Third Ministerial Conference on Energy in Lisbon on 14 June 2021. Energy Ministers from the 42 UfM Member States met to discuss regional cooperation towards energy security and a low-carbon transition. With a population of over 500 million inhabitants and growing, it is estimated that energy demand in the region will increase by more than 50% by 2040. Ministers adopted a new Ministerial Declaration, which will be developed into concrete action plans by the three UfM Energy Platforms, which act as fora for dialogue… read more
7 June 2021, Barcelona. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel and Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Arancha González Laya met today in the headquarters of the UfM in Barcelona to discuss regional integration and cooperation in the Mediterranean, as well as the preparations of the next UfM Regional Forum, that will gather the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the UfM Member States in Barcelona by the end of this year. The Forum will provide the opportunity to take stock and analyse the future prospects for cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean region and will take place in the framework of the first Day of the Mediterranean…. read more
