Every year, around 7 million deaths are caused by outdoor and household air pollution, 1 million of those in the European and Eastern Mediterranean regions.[1] At the same time the Mediterranean region offers huge potential for sustainable and environmentally friendly development and different actors in the region actively support the transition to an inclusive, circular and green economy The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) supports the implementation of regional agendas on environment, water, energy efficiency, low carbon energy sources (Gas) and renewable energies as well as blue economy with the objective of tackling all sources of pollution. Barcelona, 5 June… read more
On the occasion of the 2nd World Conference on the Revitalization of the Mediterranean Diet in Palermo, the UfM met with CIHEAM and FAO to partner in support to a new platform on sustainable food systems in the region Within the conference, UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, participated in the session “A Mediterranean Contribution on Environment and Sustainable Co-Development to the Summit of the Two Shores”, to which the UfM is contributing with a UfM Regional Dialogue Forum in Barcelona Palermo, 15-17 May 2019. The Conference, organised by CIHEAM Bari and the Forum on Mediterranean Food Cultures and under the… read more
One year after the International Donor Conference, additional international funding has been obtained for the project. The first tenders have been launched and the first construction works are due to start in August. The desalination plant is expected to supply drinking water to 2 million Palestinian inhabitants in Gaza, where over 97% of the water is not drinkable Barcelona, 2 May 2019. The available water in Gaza is among the lowest in the world and 97% is unfit for human consumption. To meet this urgent need, and on the occasion of the annual spring meeting of the international donor coordination… read more
The Mediterranean region has more than 25 million hectares of forests and about 50 million hectares of other wooded lands. Protected forest areas cover 9 million hectares, representing 4.3 percent of the region’s total surface area. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) will launch a project to restore biodiversity in the Mediterranean through forest and landscape restoration, on 1 April at the 6th Mediterranean Forest week (Lebanon) Barcelona, 20 March 2019. The Mediterranean basin is the world’s second largest biodiversity hotspot: rich in plant diversity containing some 25 000-plant… read more
If nothing is changed by 2050, water-related issues with an impact on agriculture, health, and incomes could lower the GDP of the Middle East and North Africa region by 6-14%[1]. 3 out of 4 jobs worldwide are water-dependent [2], yet 50 million jobs should be created in the next decade to absorb the growing labour supply in the Mediterranean region. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has led the development of a regional Water Agenda and a financial strategy to help achieve access to water for all. Barcelona, 19 March 2019. The Mediterranean region is one of the 25 “hotspots” impacted… read more
The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, participated in the Ministerial Meeting of the WestMED initiative, which took place today in Algiers. The WestMED initiative seeks to promote specific measures to secure a sustainable development of the maritime economy in ten Western Mediterranean countries. The UfM is closely associated to the initiative to ensure coherence and synergies with the broader Mediterranean Blue Economy agenda. Algiers, 4 December, 2018. Ministers of the Western Mediterranean countries, together with the European Commission and the Union for the Mediterranean, adopted today a declaration to strengthen regional cooperation on the WestMED… read more
This is the 3rd Meeting of Environmental Journalists of News Agencies of the Mediterranean, promoted by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Barcelona, 14 November 2018 (UfM/IUCN-Med) – Around 50 environmental journalists and scientists from 20 countries in the Mediterranean basin, researchers and experts in the field, NGOs, and international institutions are meeting on the 13th and 14th of November at the 3rd Meeting of Environmental Journalists of Mediterranean News Agencies, at the UfM headquarters, in Barcelona. The event is promoted by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the… read more
The Secretariat of UfM hosted the BLUEMED Week on 23–25 October, during which national delegates, the European Commission and stakeholders met to advance an integrated Mediterranean research agenda on Blue Economy The BLUEMED Initiative seeks to contribute to the creation of new ‘blue’ jobs, social well-being and a sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors Barcelona, 23-25 October 2018. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) hosted the BLUEMED Week at its premises in Barcelona on 23-25 October, a three-day event aiming at promoting the blue economy through cooperation in the Mediterranean Sea . The BLUEMED Week hosted the Second Meeting of the… read more
Hosted by the OECD, the UfM organised the second Task Force meeting on Financial Strategy on water issues for enhancing investment and sustainable development in the Mediterranean Paris, 9 July 2018. The Mediterranean region is one of the most water-scarce areas in the world with more than more than 180 million people being considered water poor. Promoting regional partnerships and creating sustainable cooperation mechanisms on water use is needed to reverse this downward spiral. In line with the mandate given by the UfM Ministers for Water (April 2017) to develop the UfM Water Agenda and a Financial Strategy and the… read more
The UfM Secretariat is currently developing a strategy to implement the UfM Water Agenda with a view to enhancing regional cooperation in the field, thus contributing to an integrated water management in the UfM region. Ramallah, 28 June 2018. In line with the framework of the UfM Water Agenda and with a view to enhancing cooperation and ensuring coherence with relevant partners and initiatives in the UfM region, the UfM actively participated in the 1st Palestine International Water Forum, held on 25-28 June 2018, in Ramallah. The Forum, held under the title ‘Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM): Best Practices and… read more
