Ahead of the 2025 UfM Ministerial on Employment and Labour, representatives of the UfM Member States convened in Porto to take stock of milestone in the implementation of the 2022 Marrakech Declaration, to discuss the key findings of the UfM Community of Practice on Monitoring, and to exchange best practices on Youth Employment ahead of the coming Ministerial. The UfM Region faces several employment-related challenges in the aftermath of major socio-economic and geopolitical disruptions, but several initiatives and best practices from the region can inform our collective efforts going forward. The Declaration of the upcoming Ministerial envisages for October 2025… read more
The UfM Forum “Green Entrepreneurship: A Pathway to Sustainable and Inclusive Employment” Forum explored the intersection of green entrepreneurship and just transition. It highlighted EU-funded regional initiatives supporting the green economy, social entrepreneurship, and economic inclusion of women and youth. The Forum was jointly organised by the European Commission and the Business Development Centre (BDC) on behalf of the UfM Co-Presidency. It is part of the UfM Roadmap on Employment and Labour (2022–2025), reflecting the UfM’s ongoing commitment to fostering a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient Mediterranean region. Amman, 30 April 2025. The Mediterranean region is advancing green entrepreneurship and digital… read more
Barcelona, 11 April 2025 — Over 80 project promoters, partners, beneficiaries, entrepreneurs, and donors from 11 UfM countries gathered today in Barcelona to review the state-of-play and the progress of the UfM Grant Schemes, which have provided over €3 million in funding to support employment, green jobs, and entrepreneurship among youth and women in the region. Organised by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in partnership with the German Development Cooperation, and supported by the European Commission (DG EMP), the UfM Grant Schemes’ Stakeholders Dialogue showcased success stories, best practices and explored future opportunities for scaling up regional cooperation through… read more
The UfM undertakes a first landmark step towards engaging policymakers from the UfM Member States in the formulation of multilateral trade and investment policies, leveraging the expertise of international trade and investment organisations. The study visit will pave the way for enhanced collaboration between UfM Member States and international trade institutions, aiming at greater regional economic integration and sustainable investment strategies to enhance competitiveness and trade resilience. Geneva, 25-27 February 2025. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) successfully concluded its Study Visit on International Trade and Investment Policy held from February 25 to 27, 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. Organized in… read more
The ARLEM Award – Young local entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean goes into its seventh edition, and once again within the framework of the celebrations of the Day of the Mediterranean and with the support of the UfM. Registration is now open for the prize for entrepreneurial enterprises boosting local communities in the Southern Mediterranean, awarded by the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) and until 15th of May 2025. The prize will be awarded to a young entrepreneur up to 36 years old, supported by her/his regional or local community and whose company has been registered for at least 3 years…. read more
The UfM participated in the Meeting of the New Regional Programme of Spanish Cooperation with the Arab World: Mas’ar Al’an, hosted by Casa Mediterráneo in Alicante, Spain. The meeting saw a presentation of two UfM Grant Scheme beneficiary projects, namely Get Into Green and Women on the Green Path, both in the phase of implementation, benefitting several UfM Arab Member States. Alicante, 22 January 2025 – The UfM participated in a meeting on 22 January 2025 at Casa Mediterráneo in Alicante with the key actors and stakeholders of Spanish Cooperation in the Arab Countries. This meeting took place within the… read more
11-12 December 2024, Cairo, Egypt – The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Secretariat, supported by German Development Cooperation, successfully concluded the UfM Seminar on Refugee Entrepreneurship: Addressing Economic Recovery Amidst Conflict on 11-12 December 2024 in Cairo. The seminar convened a diverse group of regional stakeholders to explore the pivotal role of refugee entrepreneurship in stimulating economic growth in both host nations and countries of origin. Discussions centred on effective strategies to empower and support refugee entrepreneurs. In his opening remarks, Said Charna, Senior Economic Advisor at the UfM Secretariat, emphasised the significance of the seminar’s theme and the necessity… read more
The 10th meeting of the UfM Community of Practice on Youth Employment saw the last brushstrokes on a charter that presents a comprehensive framework meant to guide youth employment initiatives in the Southern Mediterranean. Since its first edition in 2018, the UfM Stakeholders Dialogue has become a regular gathering of multiple stakeholders from both shores of the UfM region to discuss best practices and success stories in the fields of job creation, skill development, matching and startup support. Aswan, 15-17 December 2024. The UfM, together with the German Development Cooperation, organized the fourth edition of the UfM Med4Jobs Stakeholders Dialogue… read more
28 November 2024, Brussels, Belgium – The 8th meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean’s (UfM) Regional Platform on Trade and Investment took place on 28 November 2024 at the European Commission’s premises. The event brought together senior trade officials from across the region, along with various experts from the European Commission. The meeting opened with speeches by Ms. Mercedes Bonet, Deputy Head of Unit for Southern Neighbours, Middle East, Turkey, Russia, and Central Asia in the Directorate-General for Trade at the European Commission, and Ms. Wafa Jiris, Director at the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply of Jordan, who… read more
The UfM Secretariat joined hands for the first time with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to tackle key issues related to international investment policymaking tools and challenges. The online workshop is the first step of a structured engagement with UNCTAD that will see further collaboration between both entities going forward. While Investment is critical for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda, the global policy landscape is still largely dominated by old-generation international investment agreements (IIAs) that do not mitigate today’s challenges in areas such as economic stability, environment, and lack sustainable investment facilitation… read more
