News

Barcelona, 29 September 2022. The Conference on “Sustainable Urbanisation through Port City Transformation” was held in Barcelona on 28 and 29 September 2022, and it provided a unique opportunity for representatives of Mediterranean ports and adjacent cities, government representatives, and other key regional and international stakeholders to discuss sustainable urbanisation through port city transformation. The Conference underlined, once more, the importance of stronger dialogue and working relationship between ports and port cities as well as with governments and other stakeholders in general with a view to realizing urban development visions in port cities. The UfM, in the upcoming period, intends… read more

18-22 September 2022, New York. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, attended the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly where he showcased the work of the Union for the Mediterranean and met with Ministers for Foreign Affairs of different Member states, namely Algeria, Morocco, Estonia, Slovenia, Hungary, Monaco and Egypt, as well as representatives from other international organizations such as the World Bank, OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe), UNAOC (United Nations Alliance of Civilizations) and the Council of Europe. On Monday, 19 September, the SG attended the High-Level Summit on Transforming Education convened in response to… read more

The Conference took place at the eco-campus of the Euromed University of Fez and aimed to highlight the importance of dialogue in the process of regional cooperation and integration. 15-16 September 2022, Fez. What actors represent the key stakeholders in the Euro-Mediterranean science-policy interfaces? How to engage Universities in science-policy processes? How can Euro-Mediterranean institutions better share knowledge amongst themselves? These and many other issues were discussed during the Conference on Science-Policy interface in the Euro-Mediterranean Region, organised by the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), the Euro-Mediterranean University of Fes (UEMF) and the UfM. The Conference explored the importance of science-policy platforms… read more

Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt – 6 to 18 November 2022 – For the first time in COP’s history, the 27th edition will host a Mediterranean Pavilion. The initiative is conceived to highlight both the urgent challenges the region is currently facing, and the innovative solutions already being developed throughout the Mediterranean, raising awareness on a region overlooked in the climate negotiations. Located in the COP27 Blue zone, the Mediterranean Pavilion will host relevant events and working meetings and provide an exceptional opportunity to highlight these severe challenges as well as to illustrate, share, scale up and discuss the advanced initiatives applied and… read more

The UfM and UNIDO join forces for the Women Business Forum, a two-day hybrid event in Barcelona and livestreamed online 20 July 2022, Barcelona. The MENA region has the world’s largest entrepreneurial disparity between men and women – 5% of women-led business compared to a global average of 23%-26% – and one of the weakest female labour participation rates. Under the title “Gender-smart financing to unlock Women’s entrepreneurial potential in the MENA region”, the Women Business Forum 2022 kicked off in Barcelona, jointly co-organised by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and supported by… read more

The 12th Ministerial Meeting of UfM Trade Ministers is due to be convened in the second half of 2023. 20 July 2022. The Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean convened today by videoconference for the third meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Trade and Investment. They followed up on the planned work encompassing the three main pillars of Sustainable Trade, Sustainable Investment and Regional Integration, along the lines of the Joint Declaration by UfM Trade Ministers of November 2020. The meeting of the platform was chaired by the UfM Co-Presidency, the European Commission (DG TRADE) and Jordan… read more

The four awarded projects benefitted 18K people in 7 countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region, namely, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, and Tunisia Barcelona, 14 July 2022. As part of its regional response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UfM launched a Grant Scheme for Employment Promotion in 2020 aiming at improving the employment situation particularly those from the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. To showcase the work done and the lessons learned by the awarded projects, the Closing Ceremony of the UfM Grant Scheme for Employment Promotion was organized at the Union for the Mediterranean headquarters in Barcelona on the 14th of… read more

Civitavecchia, 7-8 July 2022. The MEDports Forum 2022: The Challenge of Digitalisation in the Mediterranean, was held in Civitavecchia, Italy on 7 and 8 July 2022. The Forum was co-organized by the MEDports Association and the Port System Authority of Central Northern Tyrrhenian Sea – Port of Civitavecchia, and co-sponsored by the Union for the Mediterranean. For several years now, and especially since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, digitalisation has emerged as one of the key drivers for the development of a more sustainable and resilient global shipping industry. Widespread awareness of climate change, the need for greater safety and… read more

27-28 June 2022, Lisbon The UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel attended the UN Ocean Summit where he showcased the work of the Union for the Mediterranean on the protection of the Mediterranean Sea and environment. The Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal, comes at a critical time as the world is seeking to address many of the deep-rooted problems of our societies laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic and which will require major structural transformations and common shared solutions that are anchored in the SDGs. The SG took the opportunity to meet with the recently appointed Minister of… read more

Research and Innovation Ministers from the 42 countries of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) met for the first time to discuss ways to promote scientific cooperation on climate change, renewable energy and health.  They endorsed a ministerial declaration that seeks to exploit the potential of research and innovation to increase the resilience of the Euro-Mediterranean region against environmental, food security and socioeconomic challenges, as well as to promote science diplomacy. Paris, 27 June 2022. The Ministerial Conference on research and innovation (R&I) of the Union for the Mediterranean was held to promote international cooperation on science and knowledge in… read more