News

8 April 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic is prompting questions for the water supply and sanitation sector globally and with a special focus on the Mediterranean, already under stress due to the water scarcity caused by the climate crisis. The UfM and the Institut Méditerranéen de l’Eau (IME) met online for the first brainstorming session on the water, sanitation and COVID19, along with 25 partners and experts from Lebanon, Spain, France, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. This is the first of a series of meetings to exchange views on the water emergency response to the pandemic as well as to give policy recommendations on how to move forward.  … read more

Freshwater availability is likely to decrease by 15% in the coming decades, causing important constraints for agriculture and human use in an area already suffering from water scarcity. The Mediterranean population classified as ‘water-poor’ is expected to increase to over 250 million, within 20 years. The UfM Water Agenda aims to ensure that each and every Euro-Mediterranean country receives the necessary technical, administrative, and financial recommendations to help achieve water security for its population and their economic activities. Barcelona, 17 March 2020. On World Water Day, held under the thematic “Water and Climate change”, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) emphasises the… read more

Turtles Uragano and Tempesta- hurricaine and tempest in Italian- were safely returned to the Mediterranean Sea after weeks of care in the recovery center of Manfredonia. Victims of accidental capture, the two loggerhead turtles were freed ahead of the COMMON Project training course on protection of marine endangered species. This first training course and transfer activities within the Plastic Busters MPAs and COMMON Projects was organized by the Università degli Studi di Siena, in area of ​​the master’s degree in ‘Sustainability and Environmental Ecotoxicology’ and lead by expert and teacher Maria Cristina Fossi. The course was hosted by NGO Legambiente, with its Sea Turtle Rescue Centre in… read more

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) held the 1st Annual Conference on Water Investment and Financing in the framework of the MED – Mediterranean Dialogues, held in Rome on 5-6 December. With current policies, 250 million people are projected to be considered water-poor by 2025. Through its regional Water Agenda, the UfM seeks to support its Member States in achieving a sustainable and integrated water management while securing financial sustainability for the water sector. The UfM Secretary General today will brief the audience on the main recommendations as well as on the geopolitical implications of climate change. Rome, 6th December 2019. The UfM… read more

1 November 2019, Tirana. The National Workshop under the UfM Financial Strategy for Water took place in Tirana focusing on the sustainable financing of water resources management. The meeting highlighted  significant financing need and the opportunities to increase operational efficiency and value-for-money of investments. The workshop took into account that the process of EU accession is the strongest driver for reform and investments and helped Albanian authorities to improve alignment of national goals and strategies with regional (UfM) strategies as well as the SDGs and showcase the analytical work carried out in the drinking water supply and sanitation (WSS) sub-sector. The… read more

The Union for Mediterranean joins forces with the European Union, the Arab League, GWP-Med and other partners to discuss water investment in the Mediterranean region. Out of 1 trillion US$ are needed to achieve SDGs, between 15%- 30% are needed for water related investments. Thus, the UfM promotes innovative approaches to enforce policies to achieve sustainable financing. Investing in the water sector is the shortcut to boost economic growth and achieve stability in the region: water is an element of dialogue and cooperation in the region that face acute water shortages. Cairo, 21 October 2019. The EU-UfM Business & Governance… read more

20-21 September 2019, Bizerte, Tunisia. The UfM co-organized the 2nd edition of the Forum de la Mer, held in Bizerte, in Tunisia the 20 and 21 September 2019, gathering political leaders, scientific communities, civil society actors, entrepreneurs and experts from the two shores of the Mediterranean, in order to share their expertise for a reasonable exploitation of the sea and the coast. The Forum de la Mer provided this year the opportunity to exchange progress among countries of the region on the blue economy and environment dossiers. The UfM, represented by Isidro Gonzalez, Deputy Secretary General of the division Water,… read more

The Union for the Mediterranean joins forces with FAO and CIHEAM to highlight regional initiative to counter land degradation in the Mediterranean, Near East and Eastern Europe at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) 2-13 September New Delhi, India. The Mediterranean region is characterized by an acute scarcity of land resources suitable for production, due to aridity, inherently poor soils in many areas, and poor land management. To tackle desertification, the 14th session of Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will take place from 2-13 September… read more

26 June 2019, Rome. Hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy, UfM, with the support of UNESCO-WWAP, gathered over 30 delegates from policy making level and WASH technical field on 26 June in Rome for the 1st Regional Policy Dialogue dedicated to its new project initiative Achieving SDG 6 and related SDGs in Mediterranean Region. This new initiative builds on the UfM regional cooperation, information exchange and policy coherence being fundamental in the water sector and critical for the achievement of SDG 6 on water and sanitation as well as all related SDGs. While sharing similar water resource… read more

21 June 2019, Marseille. The Union for the Mediterranean, represented by its Deputy Secretay General Miguel Garcia Herraiz took part to the international seminar “Strengthening cooperation efforts for a more cohesive, inclusive and sustainable Mediterranean”, held within the frame of the General Assembly of the CPMR Inter-Mediterranean Commission. The CPRM Assembly, taking place back to back with the Sommet des deux Rives, was the occasion to discuss issues such as green/blue/circular economy, sustainable consumption and production. These topics were addressed within the Palermo event, organized by Italy, in preparation and as contribution of the Sommet in Marseille. The seminar focused on… read more