News

As a region warming at a rate 20% faster than the global average, the Mediterranean is particularly vulnerable to issues relating to environmental degradation, extreme weather phenomena, and energy crises. The Mediterranean Green Week, which took place in Istanbul from May 14 to 16, provided 150 people with a platform to explore how to best address pressing sustainability-related challenges in an effective and holistic manner. 14-16 May 2024, Istanbul. The first-ever edition of Mediterranean Green Week: Towards a Greener and More Resilient Mediterranean, co-organised by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the OECD, kicked off in Türkiye. Attracting some… read more

14 July 2023 – The Mediterranean Sea is host to 10.000 islands, 2.000 of which are home to stable dwellings, societies, economies, with two of them – Cyprus and Malta – being Island States. The UfM joined Islands the Local 2030 Partnership to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in Mediterranean Islands at the official side event at the 2023 UN High Level Political Forum on “Islands Leading on Localised SDG Implementation”, on 14 July 2023. As fragile and exposed ecosystems, and delicately balanced societies that express the positive potentials of such ecosystems, more than anyone else the Mediterranean Islands face… read more

MedCOP Climate in Tangier hosted the 3rd UfM Energy and Climate Business Forum, gathering government representatives, experts, financial institutions, civil society, and private sector representatives, including young and women entrepreneurs, to explore strategies for accelerating the energy transition in the Mediterranean region..  22 June 2023, Tangier. The MedCOP Climate in Tangiers hosted the 3rd UfM Energy and Climate Business Forum, jointly organized by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) on the 22 June 2023. The annual forum serves as a regional platform for structuring energy and climate cooperation between countries on both… read more

4th meeting of the UfM Working Group on Environment and Climate Change 24 May 2023, Barcelona. The 4th meeting of the UfM Working Group on Environment and Climate Change took place in Sitges, Barcelona, on 24 May 2023. Member countries of the UfM Working Group on Environment and Climate Change, as well as different key stakeholders (CPMR, UNEP MAP, FAO, the European Forest Institute or Clima-Med, among others) met to foster progress on the 2nd UfM Ministerial Declaration on Environment and Climate Change action, adopted in Cairo in 2021. The 2021 Ministerial Declaration aims to intensify and accelerate the Mediterranean’s transition to… read more

𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃: 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝐧𝐝, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑. OMC – Med Energy Conference, in cooperation with the Union for Mediterranean (UfM) and Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), has recently launched the second edition of the “Call for Ideas – Mediterranean Region”, an opportunity for new generations of researchers and young professionals to emerge, offering them the possibility to present their ideas and projects on energy transition to accelerate the pathway toward more clean, affordable and secure energy and provide solutions to achieve socio-economic growth for the territory and the community. The “Call for Ideas – Mediterranean Region” addresses young researchers born in… read more

6-20 November 2022, Sharm El-Sheik. For the first time in the Conference of the Parties’ (COP) history, the 27th edition hosted a Mediterranean Pavilion. The initiative was conceived by the UfM to highlight both the urgent challenges the Mediterranean is currently facing, and the innovative solutions already being developed, raising awareness of a region overlooked in the climate negotiations. Located in the COP27 Blue zone, the Mediterranean Pavilion hosted more than 60 events and working meetings, and provided an exceptional opportunity for the region to talk and act as one, bridging the voices of public and private, scientific and academic, technical, policymaking, civil society, finance, and business actors. In an innovative… read more

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt – 6 to 18 November 2022 – For the first time in COP’s history, the 27th edition will host a Mediterranean Pavilion. The initiative is conceived to highlight both the urgent challenges the region is currently facing, and the innovative solutions already being developed throughout the Mediterranean, raising awareness on a region overlooked in the climate negotiations. Located in the COP27 Blue zone, the Mediterranean Pavilion will host relevant events and working meetings and provide an exceptional opportunity to highlight these severe challenges as well as to illustrate, share, scale up and discuss the advanced initiatives applied and… read more

6 April 2022 – This multi-episode documentary, Mediterranean, Odyssey for Life, directed by Frédéric Fougea and narrated by Camélia Jordana and Guillaume Néry, will show the beauty of our shared sea through breathtaking footage and give a message of hope. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has been working on environmental and climate issues for many years and, as such, is very proud to have participated in this documentary, featuring an interview with the Secretary General. As an organisation working on regional cooperation, the goal is to raise awareness and build consensus among its Member States on how to respond to… 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

22 October 2021. This 2021 is the “make or break year for action on energy transition”, according to the United Nations. In this very year, COP26 is also expected to bring significant implications for the energy sector towards a sustainable energy future. And in this very moment where the COVID19 pandemic has recalled us all how interlinked nature, energy, climate, health and economy are in our society, energy will allow us to recover, building back better together. 2021 is also the year when the 42 members of the Union for the Mediterranean have approved a Ministerial Declaration on Energy that raises the ambition… read more