15 April 2021, Barcelona. The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, held an online meeting with Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S), a collective of financial centres working to accelerate the expansion of sustainable finance by enabling financial centres to exchange experience, drive convergence, and act on shared priorities, with the aim of contributing to the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. Barcelona Centre Financer Europeu and Casablanca Finance City, both members of FC4S participated at the meeting, which was facilitated by Fundación Tanja. They discussed potential future cooperation between the UfM and FC4S with the aim of… read more
19th March 2021 – The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, and the President of Plan Bleu, Thierry Lavoux, virtually met today to officialize the signature of the 2nd phase of their Cooperation Agreement towards a sustainable development in the Mediterranean basin. As part of the agreement, both parties will jointly support and promote the efforts of the scientific network of Mediterranean Experts on Climate and environmental Change (MedECC). This new Cooperation Agreement guarantees the continuity and future of the MedECC Secretariat, hosted under the hospice of Plan Bleu. The Secretary General stated that, as part… read more
2nd March 2021, Virtual Format – The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, participated as a key note speaker in a Forum organized by the Delphi Economic Forum and the Institute for Sustainable Development of EPLO – the European Public Law Organization. The forum on “Blue Economy: The Way to Green Recovery” convened leaders, policy-makers, investors, and the Blue Economy industry for deliberations over the pressing issues related to the maritime and coastal zone as a par excellence opportunity for sustainable development. The session was moderated by Spyros Kouvelis, Director of the EPLO and among the panelist… read more
25 february 2021 – UfM member states met on 25 February 2021 to review and discuss the follow-up of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Barcelona Process/5th UfM Regional Forum, held on 27 November 2020. During the meeting, UfM Senior Officials welcomed the New Agenda for the Mediterranean adopted by the European Commission, and underlined the EU’s renewed confidence in the UfM’s indispensable role to enhance regional cooperation, and as a privileged dialogue forum for its 42 Member States. “I am convinced that this renewed partnership with the Southern Mediterranean countries and its accompanying Economic and Investment Plan… read more
Barcelona, 16 February 2021 – In the framework of our cooperation agreement with Sida, the annual meeting between Sida and the UfMS was held virtually on the 16th of February, counting with the presence of the UfM Secretary General, the Directorate for Operations and Partnerships and the Water, Environment and Blue Economy Division of the UfM Secretariat, and the Swedish Ambassador in Jordan and representatives from the Sida regional office in Amman. The meeting served to present the UfM mission and the UfM Secretariat work methodology, give an overview on the main achievements of the Sida – UfM Secretariat Partnership, inform… read more
The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, participated in the annual Plenary Session of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM). Recommendations by local and regional politicians highlighted concerns about access to COVID vaccines and “huge” regional inequalities within Mediterranean countries. ARLEM awards a prize to a young entrepreneur of the Mediterranean each year: This edition’s winner is Erilda Krasi, of 1001 Albanian Adventures, a tour operator that has benefited from collaboration with the city of Berat. Brussels, 22 February 2021. The Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) met online on 22 February to highlight concerns… read more
16 February 2021, Virtual meeting. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, participated in the 16th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the UfM (PA-UfM), which took place in virtual format on the 16th of February. The annual gathering of the 280 members of the Parliamentary Assembly focused its debates on the important topic of “the fight against climate change in the Mediterranean Region”. The meeting was chaired by the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, on behalf of President Sassoli. The Vice-President reiterated the importance of a global joint approach at an Euro-Mediterranean… read more
The new Agenda for the Mediterranean includes a dedicated Economic and Investment Plan to spur the long-term socio-economic recovery in the Southern Mediterranean. Under the new EU’s Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), up to €7 billion for the period 2021-2027 would be allocated to its implementation, which could mobilise up to €30 billion in private and public investment in the region in the next decade. Efforts will continue to enhance regional, sub-regional and inter-regional cooperation with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) as a focal point. 10 of February 2021. The European Commission and countries from the Union for the Mediterranean’s Eastern and Southern regions celebrated in November 2020… read more
19 January 2021, Barcelona. The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, held an online meeting with Christoph Rauh, Africa Director at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The meeting took place in the context of Germany’s ongoing support to the UfM Secretariat, which is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ). They discussed the successful outcomes of the second edition of the high-level UfM Trade and Investment Forum, which was held on 12 November 2020 during the German EU Council Presidency, under the auspices of the BMZ. At the Forum, which renewed the momentum for trade and… read more
FAO, CIHEAM and UfM join forces to boost progress on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda across the Mediterranean, in the framework of the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit. The MoU comes with a detailed work plan of concrete actions, to be jointly carried out between 2021 and 2024, that will span across several technical areas, such as sustainable management of land and water resources, sustainable fisheries, climate-smart and organic agriculture, food environments and healthy diets, sustainable value chain development, food loss and waste reduction. 14 January 2021. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Centre… read more
