News

31 January- 2 February 2022, Brussels. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, visited the main counterparts of the UfMS within the EEAS and DG NEAR and held bilateral meetings with the European Commission DGs directly involved in the organization of the Ministerial meetings scheduled in 2022. The Secretary General met with Head of Division Birgit Loeser and Managing Director Fernando Gentilini and Deputy Managing Director Carl Hallergard.  From DG NEAR, the meeting was hosted by Acting Director Neighborhood South Henrike Trautmann.  The Secretary General shared his vision and priorities for the UfM, as well as the main initiatives and projects that… read more

24 January 2022. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, met with Turkish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, in Ankara in Turkey on Monday January 24, 2022.  They discussed the challenges and the opportunities in the Mediterranean region, as well as the way to reinforce the cooperation among Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean to promote a sustainable development and stability in the region.  During the meeting, the Secretary General recalled the need to focus in a sustainable post pandemic recovery phase on an effective regional integration that will unleash the full social and economic potential of the Mediterranean… read more

Tuesday 18 January 2022. The Commissioner General for Italy, Paolo Glisent, and the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, announce the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding for the European Commission’s “No Women No Panel” campaign, taken up a year ago by Rai Radio1 . The Union for the Mediterranean announced its participation in March 2021 in the campaign seeking to improve gender representation and equality in the public debates in the Euro-Mediterranean Region. The UfM Secretary General highlighted: “The UfM is very proud to formally support and sign the MoU for the initiative No Women No… read more

Sharm el Cheikh, 10-13 January 2022 – The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, participated at the 4th edition of the World Youth Forum (WYF) held in Sharm el Cheikh under the auspices of Egyptian President Abdelfattah El Sisi. This year’s edition was titled “Back together” and discussed Post-COVID effects, climate change, and human rights among other topics. The World Youth Forum is a platform built by promising youth engaging young people from around the world and allowing them to exchange views and recommend initiatives to decision-makers and influential figures. It is a chance for youth… read more

Caption:  Carlo Buontempo, Director of Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and Grammenos Mastrojeni, UfM Deputy Secretary General  The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) signed a partnership agreement in Barcelona, to support all UfM countries to access the critical data they need to tackle Mediterranean climate change challenges. 25 October 2021, Barcelona. Over the next few years, ECMWF, as entrusted entity to implement the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) and Union of Mediterranean will work closer and undertake joint initiatives to develop targeted training sessions and materials for knowledge… read more

The initiative provides a regional emergency solution to implement an innovative Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) for Higher Education in the Euro-Mediterranean region. This project will enable 300 refugees and students from the host communities to access higher education institutions in the next 3 years. 21 October 2021, Barcelona. The Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) met today at the level of Senior Officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. They endorsed a new regional initiative to support access to higher education for the refugee and displaced populations. They also discussed the preparations of the 6th UfM Regional… read more

Barcelona, 12 October. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel participated online in the high-level segment of the 2021 OSCE Mediterranean Conference held in hybrid format in Vienna on the 12 and 13 of October dedicated to the theme “Road to resilience: post-pandemic recovery and security in the OSCE and Mediterranean regions”. On his intervention, the Secretary General recalled the need to focus on three elements in a sustainable post pandemic recovery: an effective regional integration that will unleash the full social and economic potential of the Mediterranean region; an inclusive development axed in a digital transition; a recovery based in climate-resilient… read more

Ministers from the 42 Member countries of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) gathered today in Cairo at the 2nd UfM Ministerial Conference on Environment and Climate action under the Co-Presidency of Jordan and the European Union. They agreed on a common agenda to strengthen efforts in the Euro-Mediterranean region to urgently tackle the multiple climate and environmental challenges it faces. This commitment reflects the highest possible ambition in accelerating transition towards sustainable, climate-neutral and green economies. Cairo, 4 October 2021. The Ministerial Conference was chaired by Frans Timmermans, European Commission Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, on behalf… read more

27 September 2021, Barcelona. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel met with Ms. Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona, city where the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership was launched back in 1995 and where the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean is based. During their meeting, SG Kamel and Mayor Colau discussed the preparation of the Day of the Mediterranean and the celebration of its first edition this year in the city of Barcelona. In their first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary General further emphasized the central role Barcelona has played in Euro-Mediterranean relations since the launch of… read more

20-22 September 2021, New York. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel attended the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly where he showcased the work of the Union for the Mediterranean and strengthened its partnerships with key UN institutions and agencies, such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC). Together with Assistant Secretary-General and Director for the Regional Bureau for Arab States of the UNDP Khalida Bouzar, Secretary General Kamel presented the main findings and recommendations of the UfM Regional Integration Report. They further agreed on renewing the Memorandum of Understanding between… read more