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
The UfM seeks to mobilize its member states, partners and public and private sector in support of the Action Plan for an Exemplary Mediterranean 2030 to achieve the protection target of 30% of the planet’s surface areas. 11 January 2021, Paris. The fourth One Planet Summit brought together Heads of State and Government and decision-makers to speed up international action for nature. The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, joined the event and reiterated UfM’s commitment to the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, to continue to collaborate actively to the concretization of the Action Plan for Exemplary Mediterranean by 2030. The primary goal of the One planet… read more
10 December 2020. The second meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Sustainable Urban Development took place on 10 December 2020 and saw the recommendation by consensus for the adoption of the UfM Strategic Urban Development Action Plan 2040 for sustainable, resilient and inclusive cities and communities in the Mediterranean and of the UfM Action Plan for Sustainable and Affordable Housing. The meeting concluded with finalised the deliverables of the multi-stakeholder consultative process for the implementation of the “Union for the Mediterranean Urban Agenda”, with the participation of almost 90 representatives from UfM Member States, intergovernmental organizations, universities, NGOs, international financial… read more
Cairo, 7 December 2020. The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel signed today December 7th, 2020, in Cairo, a Memorandum of Understanding for institutional cooperation (MOU) on behalf of the Secretariat with the Prince Muhammad Bin Fahd International Foundation, represented by its Executive Manager, Zaidan Ali Al-Zaidan and the Arab Voluntary Union represented by its President, Hassan Mohammed Buhazza. The signing of the MoU comes at a timely moment within the context of the celebration of the International Volunteer Day and in the perspective to enhance the UfM engagement in favour of Youth Voluntary actions in the coming years. This MOU establishes… read more
The fifth edition of the UfM Regional Forum commemorated the launch of the Barcelona Process in 1995 as Foreign Affairs Ministers from UfM Member States gathered virtually today. UfM Member States declared 28 November as the ‘International Day of the Mediterranean’, to be observed from now on each year with a view to fostering a common Mediterranean identity while promoting intercultural exchanges and embracing the diversity of the region. UfM Ministers took stock of the progress achieved to date and discussed the way forward to build inclusive and resilient societies, especially taking into account the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and its… read more
Photo: 4th Regional Forum (2019) Barcelona, 19 November 2020 – On the occasion of a phone call, Nasser Kamel, UfM Secretary General, and Sabri Boukadoum, Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, had an exchange on the state of preparation for the Fifth UfM Regional Forum and the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Barcelona Process, to be commemorated on 25-27 November 2020. The state of play of the cooperation between Algeria and the UfM Secretariat as well as the prospects of its reinforcement were also discussed by both sides. In this framework, Nasser Kamel stressed the pivotal role of Algeria in… read more
Over 700 experts, policymakers and representatives from the private sector, the civil society and international organizations are gathering virtually this week to discuss the state of gender equality in the Mediterranean region in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 5th UfM Women4Mediterranean Conference kicked-off yesterday with the launch of the first-ever Intergovernmental Monitoring Mechanism on Gender Equality in a meeting of the UfM Member States. This new reporting exercise will allow to measure and report the progress made on women’s rights and provide policy recommendations to close the gender gap in the region. Barcelona, 17 November, 2020. The UfM Secretariat… read more
Over 300 experts, policymakers and representatives from the private sector, the civil society and international organizations today gathered online at the “UfM Trade and Investment Forum” to discuss trade, investment and employment opportunities in the Mediterranean region in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Forum was preceded by a Ministerial Meeting of the UfM Trade Ministers on 10 November. See Joint Ministerial Statement. Germany announced its support to finance the creation of a UfM Hub for Jobs, Trade and Investment Promotion in order to promote trade opportunities and contribute to facilitate access to finance, mobilize investments and strengthen regional value… read more
The 42 member countries of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) convened today by videoconference for the 11th Trade Ministerial Conference to launch three new trade and investment initiatives. They also called for the strengthening of trade ties in the Euro-Mediterranean area as a crucial element for the regional economic recovery. 10 November 2020. The UfM Trade Ministerial Conference stressed the importance of ensuring that Mediterranean partners can take full advantage of opening markets. The newly launched trade and investment initiatives supported by the EU and implemented by partner organisations – the International Trade Centre, the International Labour Organization and… read more
