16 February 2023, Casablanca – UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel was invitated to participate in and address the inaugural Aerospace African Forum, organized by “The Moroccan Aeronautic Industry Association.” The Forum attracted a host of political decision-makers and entrepreneurs, providing a platform to assess the current status of the aeronautic sector in Africa and globally, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic. It served as a venue for discussing forthcoming challenges and exploring avenues for cooperation. In line with these objectives, the Secretary General took part in the “Behind the Scenes of Sovereignty” panel, alongside Mr. Hubert Védrine (Former French… read more
The 2nd UfM Ministerial Conference on Transport took place online on 9 February 2023. A new Regional Transport Action Plan was endorsed by the UfM Ministers, that will reinvigorate multilateral cooperation in this sector until 2027 and unlock an important potential in the economic and social development in the region in the years ahead. Transport is a vital “enabler” in sustainable development, with transport-related targets included in eight out of the seventeen SDGs. Transport is also a multiplier in the economic development of any country and an important component of regional integration in the Mediterranean. Barcelona, 9 February 2023. On… read more
7-8 February 2023, Brussels – UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel undertook a series of engagements with key partners of the UfM Secretariat. These interactions included meetings with the EEAS, DG NEAR, the European Council, as well as informal discussions with the Arab Group and the MaMa Group. The Secretary General commenced his visit by participating in a brainstorming session aimed at enhancing the UfM’s actions and the Secretariat’s operations. This session brought together the co-presidency of the UfM. Upon the invitation of the Egyptian Ambassador, who chairs the Arab Group in Brussels, the Secretary General engaged in an informal discussion… read more
Building on the outcomes of the UfM Ministerial Conference on Research and Innovation held in June 2022, the UfM co-organised an event on the ‘International Cooperation in Research and Innovation (R&I) for Mediterranean resilience – Launch of Mediterranean Initiative: Horizon Europe WP 2023-2024’, together with the European Commission and the EU Delegation in Cairo. The Mediterranean Initiative included in the Horizon Europe Work Programme brings new significant opportunities for Mediterranean research stakeholders Cairo, 30-31 January 2023. For the first time ever, the Horizon Europe 2022-2023 programme is foreseeing a “Mediterranean Initiative”. This series of R&I calls, open to Mediterranean countries… read more
UfM holds an official visit to new Member State, North Macedonia, to discuss regional environmental challenges and potential cooperation initiatives. 31 January 2023, Skopje. Following the entrance of the Republic of North Macedonia into the Union for the Mediterranean last November, UfM Deputy Secretary General in charge of Water, Environment and Blue Economy, Almotaz Abadi, paid an official visit to the new Member State to meet with the Minister of Environment and Physical Planning, Naser Nuredini and the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water, Abdylshyqr Abedini, in Skopje. The accession of the Balkan country comes at a moment of great need… read more
25 January 2023, Doha – The Secretary General travelled to Doha to take part in the High-Level Event “The Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Multidimensional Poverty”, which was organised by the Arab League and under the initiative of the Ministry of Social Development and Family of the State of Qatar. The Secretary General participated in the Official Opening of the event, where he stressed the importance of fostering direct dialogue between organisations addressing the situation of disabled people and governments. He also mentioned the growing interest during UfM events and meetings in establishing a regional dialogue platform on this… read more
24-25 January 2023, Athens. The Plan of Action for a Model Mediterranean Sea by 2030 (PAMEx) held its first Steering Committee meeting on 24-25 January 2023 in Athens, Greece with the participation of UfM Deputy Secretary General in charge of Water, Environment and Blue Economy, Almotaz Abadi and UfM Senior Expert, Marie-Claire Boillot. In the meeting, partners followed up on the implementation of the 20 concrete actions that PAMEx encompasses, including governance matters and the functioning of the Local Investment Finance Facility (PLIFF) —the innovative financial mechanism created to underpin the implementation of PAMEx—. The Steering Committee meeting also reviewed… read more
A high-level mission on Agriculture, Agri-food, and Food Security to Egypt was held in January 2023, as a follow-up on the Mediterranean Ministerial Dialogue on the Food Crisis of December 2022, co-chaired by Italy, Turkey, and Lebanon, at the margins of the Rome MED Dialogue. It was led by the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, and the Minister of Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini. A meeting was also organized with Egyptian President Abdel Fatha El-Sisi as well as Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly. The goal was to support the PRIMA initiative, by scaling… read more
16 December 2022. Barcelona and Piran. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) have recently concluded the webinar series “Science Diplomacy for Sustainable Development in the Mediterranean Region”, which promoted the recently endorsed UfM Agendas on Research and Innovation as a tool for scientific cooperation in the Mediterranean . The first webinar kicked off on 12 December with ‘Scientific Cooperation for Sustainable Regional Development’ open to all R&I stakeholders in the Mediterranean. Alvaro Albacete Perea, Deputy Secretary General for Higher Education and Research at the UfM and Prof. Dr. Abdelhamid El-Zoheiry, the EMUNI President inaugurated the… read more
The UfM Regional Platform on Trade and Investment convened its fourth meeting by videoconference to discuss areas of priority ahead of the 12th Ministerial Meeting of the UfM Trade Ministers in October 2023 in Spain. 19 December 2022. The Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean held today the fourth meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Trade and Investment in an online format. During the meeting, they discussed priorities under three main headline topics of Sustainable Trade, Sustainable Investment and Regional Integration. The meeting of the Platform was chaired by the UfM Co-Presidency; the European Commission (DG TRADE)… read more
