News

A joint webinar series by the UfM and the WHO Regional Office for Europe addressed the challenges and solutions to embed health and wellbeing in the planning and management of urban settings, as according to studies, cities can avoid up to 20% of premature deaths with better urban and transport planning. Urban sustainability is becoming an urgent need, especially in the Mediterranean region, which is one of the world’s climate change hotspots. Barcelona, 18 April 2023. In the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UfM and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to collaborate across sectors in reinforcing the… read more

Through a partnership between the two institutions, students on the South Mediterranean have received high-level financial and political expertise on the Euro-Mediterranean policies and financial opportunities offered by the EIB. Barcelona, April 2023. Starting in November 2022 and until March 2023, the Union for the Mediterranean and the European Investment Bank have piloted trainings as proofs of concept with three initial Mediterranean Universities in Morocco, Egypt and Jordan. The aim was to bring for the first time trainings tailored to the needs of the receiving Universities, on fields such as the EU financial architecture for development, the mandate of the UfM… read more

29-30 March 2023, Barcelona – The UfM took part in Barcelona REACT 2023 Economic Reactivation Days, organized by the Barcelona City Council since 2021. REACT is the meeting point for Barcelona’s economic sectors, bringing together experts, and local, national and international leaders, to reflect on the next decade’s economic outlook and on key ongoing projects at local level. A valuable opportunity to exchange on regional and local experiences, best practices, and lessons learned, UfM Deputy Secretary General for Water, Environment, and Blue Economy, Almotaz Abadi, took part in a session on ‘The blue economy in Barcelona, placing the Sea on… read more

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the World Ocean Council (WOC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at UfM Headquarters in Barcelona in the framework of the 2021 UfM Ministerial Declaration on Sustainable Blue Economy and Roadmap for its implementation, and of the WestMED Initiative, supported by the UfM and by the European Commission. 28 March 2023, Barcelona. In close coordination with the UfM EU (DG MARE) and Jordan Co-Presidency, on March 28, 2023, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the World Ocean Council (WOC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at UfM Headquarters in Barcelona in the… read more

17 March 2023, Alicante. The UfM Higher Education Stakeholders’ Meeting aimed at discussing and exchanging on how to lay concrete foundations for regional close cooperation in the field of Higher Education. The meeting, organized by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and Casa Mediterráneo in Alicante was attended by over 70 people, including representatives of higher education institutions and networks, ministries in charge of higher education, and the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission. The event sought to gather feedback from key Euro-Mediterranean higher education stakeholders in view of preparing the first UfM Ministerial Conference… read more

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is joining partner International Organizations and several of its Member States at the UN 2023 Water Conference to alert on the water crisis the Mediterranean region faces, and the need for better water finance and financial sustainability of water management. To build the capacity of youth whilst tackling the challenges of water in the Mediterranean region, the UfM has developed a new Water and Youth Engagement Strategy. UfM supported projects such as the “Integrated Programme for the Protection of Lake Bizerte against Pollution” or “Smart DESERT” seek to alleviate extreme scarcity of water for… read more

Sciences Po Paris, Campus of Menton’s director invited the UfM Secretary General to this campus dedicated to Euro-Mediterranean affairs. Secretary General Nasser Kamel conversed with a group of students the challenges and opportunities of the Mediterranean region and highlighted the role of the UfM in that prospect. 21 March 2023 – Menton – In the framework of a teaching seminar dedicated to Euro-Mediterranean frameworks of cooperation, UfM Secretary General was invited to Sciences Po. Paris’s campus of Menton, where studies are mainly dedicated to the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern region. After meeting with the Director and some members of the… read more

A 14th edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI) led by the Foundation of the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco was organized in March 2023. The UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel was among the main key speakers invited to this discussion platform. He underlined the importance of Mediterranean cross-shore cooperation and partnerships in anticipating and tackling the effects of climate change in the region. 20 March 2023, Monaco – Invited by the Foundation of Prince Albert II, UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel partook in the 14th edition of the Monaco Blue Initiative (MBI). Organized by the Foundation and the Oceanographic Institute… read more

14 – 15 March 2023, Nice. The Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean held the 14th meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Employment and Labour in Nice, France, as part of the Roadmap implementing the Declaration of the 5th UfM Ministerial on Employment and Labour that took place in Marrakech on 17-18 May 2022. The meeting of the Platform was chaired by the UfM Co-Presidency: the European Commission  (DG EMPL) and Jordan (Ministry of Labour), and the discussions covered the following areas: Youth Employment: there was a session dedicated to youth employment, during which the state of… read more

14-17 March 2023, Tunisia – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the General Directorate of Forests of Tunisia and with the support of the Union for the Mediterranean, organized between 14-17 March 2023 a regional capacity building workshop for Mediterranean countries on the restoration of degraded forest landscape. The workshop was part of the Mediterranean regional component of the UfM labelled project “The Paris Agreement in action: scaling up forest and landscape restoration to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions”, funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and… read more