A Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Climate Change will take place in Athens with the aim to discuss the environmental and climate-related challenges facing the region and define the future action plan…. read more
The development of a wind farm in Jordan, the creation of a Mediterranean water knowledge platform, a capacity building programme aimed at promoting civic education in schools and a programme aimed at stimulating green industries and entrepreneurship are the four new projects recently labelled by the UfM…. read more
Barcelona, 22 March 2014. The Union for the Mediterranean joins the international community in expressing the need to find global and regional solutions to address the challenges surrounding energy and water (water-energy-nexus), highlighting the interlinkage of the two sectors, and the need for more resource-efficiency, which is a particular concern also in the Mediterranean region. In this regard, the consultants undertaking the current technical preparations of the UfM-labelled project Desalination Facility for the Gaza Strip are also evaluating power supply options that include renewable sources of energy. The Secretariat, through its project-oriented approach, is currently developing a series of actions… read more
On the occasion of the 18th Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of Mediterranean and its Protocols, the UfM Secretariat, along with partners of the H2020 Steering Committee, briefed member states and stakeholders of the convention on the findings of a comprehensive study to protect the Mediterranean sea from pollution…. read more
22 October – Amman, Jordan. Tomorrow, the UfM-labelled project ‘Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector’ shall initiate the national policy dialogue in Jordan during a first consultation workshop scheduled for 23 October in Amman. Officially launched in May 2013, this regional project if jointly implemented by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Global Water Partnership-Mediterranean (GWP-Med). Its core objective is to diagnose key governance bottlenecks to mobilising financing through public private partnerships (PPP) for the Mediterranean water sector and to support the development of consensual action plans based on international good practices. The First… read more
17 September, 2013. Following a recent relocation to Barcelona, the Global Water Operator’s Partnership Alliance (GWOPA) hosted a coordination meeting on water operator partnerships in Spain. A number of local, national and international experts were gathered at the headquarters of the Union for the Mediterranean to share past experiences and identify synergies between institutions in working sessions over one and a half days (16-17 September). GWOPA is a network of partners committed to helping water operators help one another while improving their collective capacity to provide access to water and sanitation services for all. The UfM and GWOPA are currently exploring potential ways… read more
Ramallah, 18 June, 2013. The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, headed a meeting on 17 June, 2013 at the Presidential Office in Ramallah, dedicated to following up on the implementation of the Gaza Desalination Facility project. A detailed report regarding the progress of the project was presented by the UfM Deputy Secretary General for Environment & Water, Dr. Rafiq Husseini. Ways for gathering Arab and International support for implementing this vital project were discussed in light of the existing Arab and International commitments to provide financial support for its implementation. In this respect, the Prime Minister and his deputies shall make… read more
Barcelona, 17 June, 2013. With more than 180 million people in the Mediterranean region being considered ‘water poor’ (disposing of less than 1000 m3 of renewable water per capita per year) and 60 million facing water stress (less than 500 m3 of renewable water per capita per year) according to recent figures by the Global Water Partnership, this year’s World Day to combat Desertification highlights crucial issues for the region and focuses on drought and water scarcity. The Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), along with its partners, is engaged in a number of actions to meet these urgent water… read more
The project addresses the obstacles to the mobilization of financing in the Mediterranean Water Sector and aims to improve public governance and attract important investments. It involves work at national and regional level over three years (2013-2015) in six Mediterranean countries, with the potential of more countries joining at later stages…. read more
As we celebrate the UN World Water Day and the international Year of Water Cooperation, the stakes of more sustainable and more accessible water management around the Mediterranean remain high: according to recent figures, the Mediterranean is currently lagging behind by 38% to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of bringing safe water to all…. read more
