13 June 2024, online – In line with the UfM Youth Agenda priorities, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is hosting three online meetings in 2024 for the UfM Youth Focal Points Network. These meetings aim to enhance youth involvement in policymaking on the three Agenda priorities: Climate Action and Environment, Education and Employment, and Social Inclusion and Participation. Following the initial meeting in May 2022 on Youth Engagement in Climate and Environmental Policymaking, the second meeting was held on June 13, 2024, focusing on Youth Engagement in Policies on Education and Employment. The event featured 45 participants, including UfM… read more
120 people have gathered for a two-day Union for the Mediterranean and Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality of Cyprus event to assess the economic empowerment of women, gender-just responses to the climate crisis, violence against women and girls, and gender inequality in the media across the Euro-Mediterranean region. The conference facilitated debates surrounding the central themes of the 2022 UfM Ministerial Declaration on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society and help operationalise its 2024-2025 Roadmap for Implementation. Despite great strides towards gender equality, another 150 years are needed to attain full parity in the Middle East and… read more
22 May 2024, online – In alignment with the priorities set by the UfM Youth Agenda, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is organising a series of three online meetings in 2024 of the UfM Youth Focal Points Network. These virtual gatherings aim to explore how young people from the Mediterranean region can be actively and impactfully involved in policy-making processes related to the three thematic priorities of the UfM Youth Agenda: (i) Climate Action and Environment; (ii) Education and Employment; and (iii) Social Inclusion and Participation. The inaugural meeting took place online on 22 May, focusing on Youth Engagement… read more
Closing gender gaps in the MENA financial sector: towards women-led business development took place on March 6 and 7 in Cairo. 100 public and private sector participants engaged in strategic discussions and activities aimed at fostering inclusion in the predominantly male world of business. The conference featured six panel discussions and interactive roundtable talks on strengthening the role of women in the sector as well as an award ceremony for innovative women-led startups and a matchmaking session for founders and investors. Under 5% of businesses in the MENA region are led by women, around 20 percentage points below the global… read more
The 2nd Euro-Mediterranean Conference on the Socioeconomic Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities took place on January 23 and 24 in Amman, with participants discussing the launch of the Euro-Med Agenda by the end of this year to address the underlying causes of discrimination against people with disabilities and set the preconditions for more inclusive policy responses. Attendees discussed the results of the First Situational Assessment of the Social and Economic Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in the Euro-Mediterranean Region, identified obstacles and opportunities, and highlighted good practices and priority areas in an outcome document that will be presented before the United Nations… read more
The 3-hour online workshop, co-organised by the UfM’s Social and Civil Affairs and Higher Education and Research divisions, saw more than 100 online participants discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) in universities and STEM. Key sessions focused on the importance of GEPs in universities, emphasising their pivotal role in securing funding and fostering inclusivity in academia. The workshop facilitated dialogue on developing effective GEPs and tailoring them to the Mediterranean context. 12 December 2023 – The Union for the Mediterranean’s Social and Civil Affairs and Higher Education and Research divisions co-organised a 3-hour online workshop on Gender… read more
The Women in Fintech: Bridging the Gender Gap webinar, organised by UfM with the support of GIZ, was held on November 30, 2023, allowing 40 online participants to discuss the challenges and opportunities for women in this field. The event served as a platform for comprehensive exchange on key aspects of the fintech landscape. The facilitator and participants discussed the evolution of fintech, the management of fintech start-ups, risks, regulations, ethics, governance, and an action plan on gender-lens in fintech for the Mediterranean Region. November 30, 2023 – The Women in Fintech: Bridging the Gender Gap webinar brought together 40… read more
Barcelona, November 28, 2023. The Spanish National Organisation of the Blind (ONCE) unveiled its Day of the Mediterranean-themed charity lottery ticket at the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) headquarters in Barcelona. Five million tickets, known as ‘cupones’ in Spanish, will be printed with the phrase ‘Find the Mediterranean in your city’ to mark the day. The ticket was presented to UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel by Patricia Sanz, third Vice-president of the General Council of ONCE. The Day of the Mediterranean, November 28, is an annual opportunity to promote intercultural exchanges, celebrate cooperation, embrace diversity and strengthen ties between both… read more
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), within the framework of the 3rd edition of the Mediterranean Youth Academy, hosted an Event on Youth Engagement for a Sustainable Mediterranean for leaders, international and civil society organisations, and youths, which took place in Barcelona between the 6 to 9 November 2023. A hundred young people from some 20 Euro-Mediterranean countries discussed how to increase youth involvement in the green and digital transitions, the workforce and decision-making bodies. Participants endorsed the 2030 UfM Youth Agenda: Call for Action, a set of 12 proposals and recommendations for public and private institutions aimed at strengthening… read more
18-19 October, Valencia – The Fourth UfM meeting of Civil Protection Directors-General of the Member States this week in Spain brought together a hundred officials from across the Euro-Mediterranean region to discuss the logistics of improving regional disaster risk management cooperation. Participants exchanged ideas surrounding the creation of a Mediterranean Framework on Civil Protection, a voluntary platform which will translate the technical discussions of the UfM Regional Dialogue Platform on Civil Protection into efficient on the ground activities. Many view these as necessary given the context of increasingly complex disasters, such as earthquakes or extreme weather events, that are often… read more