Barcelona, 9 December 2021. During the last meeting of the UfM Senior Officials for 2021, and just ahead of the 2022 European Year of Youth, the 42 member states adopted unanimously the UfM Youth Strategy 2030 – Euro-Mediterranean Youth towards a common goal. The Euro-Mediterranean region has one of the youngest populations in the world, with one in every three people being younger than 25 years old, and with this number reaching almost half of the population for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. Moreover, youth are among the most vulnerable groups in the face of the pressing challenges our… read more
25 November 2021. Nearly 1 in 3 women around the world have been subjected to physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. These numbers do not reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic or the full continuum of violence that affects women and girls in their lifetime including sexual harassment, online violence, domestic violence amongst many other forms of violence. Combating gender-based violence on national and regional levels is to remain the key priority in gender equality strategies and implementations. Fighting to eradicate gender-based violence is fighting for human rights. The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to… read more
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day – 19th of November The MENA Women Business Club will offer hundreds of women-owned and women-led businesses from across the MENA region the opportunity to grow their business, expand their network and develop new competencies through dedicated mentoring and networking programmes. To join the initiative, MENA Women entrepreneurs and businesswomen are called to submit their candidatures HERE. This initiative is launched by UNIDO and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in partnership with Business Club Africa. 17 November 2021. In order to stimulate the creation of business networks for women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses in the… read more
22 September 2021 – In the framework of the Union for Mediterranean (UfM) initiative aimed at evaluating progress made in gender equality in the region, the UfM Regional Dialogue on Women Empowerment, it was decided to establish a follow-up mechanism backed up with indicators to monitor and measure progress and provide policy recommendations to close the gender gap. These findings will be included in the 2nd UfM Regional Progress Report on gender equality which provides statistical data, data analysis and policy recommendations for the 2022 UfM Ministerial Declaration. In order to prepare for this Report, a first Ad-Hoc Working Group was… read more
Celebrating its 6th edition, and informed by 5 years of knowledge and experience, the Women Business Forum is an excellent regional platform that offers women-owned and women-led businesses a unique opportunity to take their business to the next level. Women face a persistent gender gap in terms of access to and use of digital technologies – a gap which increased from 19% to 24% between 2013 and 2019 in the Arab Countries. Technological changes, including digitalisation, have been accelerated by the COVID-19 health crisis. Now more than ever, we need to ensure that women are not left behind as… read more
The UfM held an online event “Young people against Hate Speech on Social Media” with the participation of young experts from the region to address the forms and practices of hate speech and discuss the necessary measures required to combat hate speech on social media. The UfM held this online event in collaboration with the Mediterranean Forum for Youth (FOMEJE) and Sustainable Cooperation for Peace and Security (SCAPS). Young experts on the theme from the region participated and enriched the debate by addressing the forms and practices of hate speech while exploring the necessary measures required in combating hate speech… read more
27 May 2021. The second meeting of the Regional Dialogue on Women Empowerment Working Group took place yesterday, co-chaired by Tunisia and with the UfM Secretariat as facilitator. The Working Group assesses progress on data gathering for the first ever intergovernmental reporting exercise monitoring progress on gender equality and women empowerment, launched earlier this year. The reporting exercise seeks to gather data on six of the 20 indicators agreed by UfM Member States, which cover four main areas of gender equality: leadership, economic empowerment, violence against women and girls, and gender stereotyping. The results of the exercise will be included… read more
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
