News

The Euro-Mediterranean region’s few remaining glaciers have retreated significantly in recent years, be it in the Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, or Balkan peninsula. Their existence is precarious as many could disappear completely in the coming decades. Melting glaciers on our warming planet are linked to flooding, landslides, sea level rise and droughts. Glaciers are key to healthy ecosystems, but uncertain water flows from rapidly melting ice can negatively impact people and the environment. In a region plagued with water scarcity and quality issues and where the population classified as water poor is expected to increase to more than 250 million by… read more

26-28 February 2025, Fes, Morocco. The Mediterranean Youth Water Hackathon concluded on 28 February 2025, bringing together young innovators from across the region to tackle critical challenges within the Water, Energy, Food, and Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus. Organised by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and supported by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), Sida, HLD pour la Méditerranée, and Young Water Solutions, the event was implemented by Cewas, MedYWat, and the EuroMed University of Fes (UEMF). The three-day hackathon provided a dynamic and interactive platform for 15 outstanding teams, composed of 28 young participants, selected from a highly competitive pool of… read more

6-7 February 2025, Malta – The Ad-hoc Meeting of the Drafting Group for the Ministerial Declaration on Water in the Mediterranean convened on 6–7 February 2025 in Malta, hosted by the Maltese Energy & Water Agency (EWA). This meeting initiated the drafting process for the 2nd UfM Ministerial Declaration on Water, as agreed during the 14th Meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Water in Lisbon, June 2024. The UfM presented a draft outline of the Ministerial Declaration, which was well-received by UfM member states. Participants engaged in discussions along the main themes, and their feedback will be incorporated into… read more

22 January 2025. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) have reaffirmed their commitment to transforming agrifood systems in the Mediterranean region by renewing their Memorandum of Understanding. Originally signed in 2021, this partnership has already achieved remarkable progress in contributing to agrifood systems transformation efforts in the Mediterranean, and its renewal reaffirms the partners’ shared ambition to drive further progress on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. A strategic collaboration The Mediterranean region is a microcosm of global agrifood system challenges,… read more

Today MedECC, the network of Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change, and the Union for the Mediterranean presented the latest scientific findings on the impacts of climate and environmental change on the region’s coastal zones as well as on the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems nexus at COP29 in Baku. A third of the Mediterranean region’s population lives in close vicinity to the sea, which is among the world’s regions with the highest probability of compound flooding, and is increasingly exposed to hazards resulting from climate change and environmental degradation. The effects of this phenomenon will be exacerbated in years to come unless… read more

2 October 2024, Faro. UfM countries, Observers, and Experts gathered together in Faro (Portugal) in order to continue to set the path towards the implementation of the 2021 UfM Ministerial Declaration on SBE / its related Roadmap, with a focus on: i) reporting by the countries; ii) joint follow-up to the 2nd UfM Stakeholder Conference on SBE held in Athens on 19-20 February 2024; iii) consolidation of partnerships in the framework of the Roadmap, including ongoing synergies with the WestMED Initiative, associating also the UfM’s work on maritime transport; and iv) medium-to-longer term planning. In the framework of the ongoing… read more

6 June 2024, Lisbon, Portugal. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) successfully organised the 14th Meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Water, held alongside the workshop on the UNECE/WHO Protocol on Water and Health in Mediterranean ‘Increasing Climate Resilience of the Water and Sanitation Sector in the Mediterranean Region’. The event, co-organised by the UNECE and WHO/Europe joint secretariat of the Protocol and the Portuguese Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority (ERSAR), convened key stakeholders, policymakers, and experts from across the Mediterranean and Europe. The primary focus was on innovative solutions for water security, public health, and sustainable water management,… read more

The Mediterranean region is home to over 80 million hectares of degraded land. More than 400,000 hectares of forests are burned each year and at least 16 animal and plant species are at risk of extinction due to environmental threats such as climate change. Drylands cover over a third of Mediterranean EU countries, most notably in Spain and Cyprus. In the MENA countries, only 5% of land is suitable for agriculture, a situation that is particularly critical in Libya, Algeria, Egypt, and Jordan. As a consequence, limited fertile soil and challenges in reclaiming land hinder agricultural expansion. 5 June 2024,… read more

The first gathering of the Blue Med Partnership’s donors, implementing partners, and beneficiary countries took place in Barcelona, with parties identifying a remarkable portfolio of sustainable blue economy investments in Morocco, Egypt and Jordan. The Mediterranean Sea generates more than $450bn annually and is a vital resource for 480 million people in 22 countries. It is also warming at a rate 20% faster than the global average and is threatened by pollution and overexploitation. 23 May 2024, Barcelona. The steering committee of the Blue Mediterranean Partnership (BMP), a partnership that aims to tackle the Mediterranean Sea’s severe environmental threats by… read more

As a region warming at a rate 20% faster than the global average, the Mediterranean is particularly vulnerable to issues relating to environmental degradation, extreme weather phenomena, and energy crises. The Mediterranean Green Week, which took place in Istanbul from May 14 to 16, provided 150 people with a platform to explore how to best address pressing sustainability-related challenges in an effective and holistic manner. 14-16 May 2024, Istanbul. The first-ever edition of Mediterranean Green Week: Towards a Greener and More Resilient Mediterranean, co-organised by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the OECD, kicked off in Türkiye. Attracting some… read more