The first high-level coordination meeting between the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and World Health Organization (WHO) took place on Thursday 28 April. The meeting brought together more than 30 representatives and experts from the UfM and WHO to discuss and explore various avenues for collaboration in order to implement the Joint Action Plan following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both parties on 5 March 2020. We need to continue exploring other common and horizontal areas of cooperation related to health to find better solutions for the common challenges we face. 28 April 2021. The global pandemic has put… read more
14 April 2021. The UfM has joined CIHEAM and CMI Marseille in launching the 41st edition of the CIHEAM Watch Letter, to give a voice to young researchers, entrepreneurs, and activists who have ideas for more sustainable and inclusive food systems in the Mediterranean region. Food systems in the Mediterranean are faced by multiple threats: climate change, pollution and environmental degradation, unemployment and economic hardship, and of course the COVID-19 health crisis. We need green, climate-resilient and sustainable solutions for agriculture, blue economy, fishing and the food systems of the future – and we need the inclusion of young people to make it happen. CIHEAM… read more
Rai Radio 1 is giving a new momentum to the European campaign “No Woman No Panel – Senza donne non se ne parla,” designed two years ago by the European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, praised by Italian President Sergio Mattarella and supported by the European Commission office in Italy. The Union for the Mediterranean is joining this campaign to further mainstream gender equality throughout its activity. 25th of March 2021. The Union for the Mediterranean is proud to participate in Rai1’s campaign “No Woman No Panel – Senza donne non se ne parla” to improve gender representation and equality in the… read more
An initiative from the three partners, Monaco, the UfM and UNIDO aims to facilitate access to finance, markets, technology and business networks for women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. Hajer Derouiche, the founder of an innovative startup that produces plant extracts based on natural raw materials from the Mediterranean, shares her story. 8 March 2021 – “Promoting the empowerment of women for inclusive and sustainable industrial development in Tunisia” is the objective of the joint declaration recently signed by Monaco’s Department of External Relations and Cooperation, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)…. read more
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to reflect and take stock of the progress made on gender equality, but above all, today should serve as a date to acclaim and recognize women’s societal role. Women’s leadership is essential to ensure that women’s needs are prioritized in the pandemic response and recovery, and we do not fall back in the progress made towards achieving gender equality. COVID-19 has shown that without women, we cannot fight the pandemic and build back better. 8 March 2020. On this date over 100 years ago, women across the world began to protest and march to… read more
The UfM hosted a virtual conference on the 5th of March to analyse gendered barriers to leadership, present the EU’s Gender Action Plan in External Action 2021-2025 and showcase UfM-supported projects and initiatives in the region. Data gathering on gender equality in leadership in the Euro-Mediterranean region remains a challenge. This year, the first exercise of the UfM’s Intergovernmental Monitoring Mechanism on Gender Equality will be launched to bridge this gap. Achieving gender equality for the current generation of working-age women in MENA could add as much as USD 3.1 trillion to regional wealth, according to the World Bank. Barcelona,… read more
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018. In 2020, the number of breast cancer cases amounted to more than 2 million, meaning breast cancer is predicted to be the most commonly occurring cancer this year. The UfM-supported project ‘Women’s Right to Health’ has compared different strategies for early cervical cancer screening, highlighting the importance of increasing the skills of health professionals and the general awareness of the population. 29 January 2021. Around 10 million people die each year from cancer. According to… 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
Barcelona, 25 November 2020. According to recent data (UN Women, 2020), 243 Million women and girls aged 15-49 have been subjected to sexual and/or physical violence worldwide by an intimate partner in the previous 12 months. Rooted in structural gender inequalities, violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a violation of human rights and a form of gender-based discrimination. Estimates of the scale of the problem are alarming. Such violence has a major and long-lasting impact on victims and imposes a significant cost burden on society. On top of that, VAWG tends to increase during every type of emergency, including… 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
