6 April 2022 – This multi-episode documentary, Mediterranean, Odyssey for Life, directed by Frédéric Fougea and narrated by Camélia Jordana and Guillaume Néry, will show the beauty of our shared sea through breathtaking footage and give a message of hope. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has been working on environmental and climate issues for many years and, as such, is very proud to have participated in this documentary, featuring an interview with the Secretary General. As an organisation working on regional cooperation, the goal is to raise awareness and build consensus among its Member States on how to respond to… read more
Barcelona, 30 March 2022 – The UfM Regional Platform on Transport Connectivity and its Thematic Working Groups on Land Transport, Air Transport, Maritime Transport and Logistics convened from 28 to 30 March 2022 online, to resume the preparations at the technical level for the 3rd UfM Ministerial Conference on Transport. As announced by the UfM Co-Presidency and the Egyptian representative on this occasion, it will be held in Cairo in early October 2022. In particular, the Working Groups discussed the consolidated version of the Regional Transport Action Plan for the Mediterranean region (RTAP) for the period 2021-2027, with a view to finalising… read more
Barcelona, 24 March 2022 – The UfM Working Group on Evaluation, Monitoring & Reporting Systems on Sustainable Urban Development convened its 4th meeting on 24 March 2022 online to highlight the importance of having available data for evidence-based urban policies. As a follow-up to previous discussions, main challenges and advancements in the implementation of the United Nations Statistical Commission methodology for delineation of cities and urban and rural areas for international and regional statistical comparison purposes, Degree of Urbanization (DGURBA) were presented, showcasing also the experience of Lebanon in applying it. The meeting was also an occasion to start discussing… read more
22 – 27 March. Access to water is a major challenge for the 21st century. Shortages, poor water quality or lack of sanitation facilities have a negative impact on food security, health, gender equality and the living conditions of the poor. The problems are numerous and complex: millions of people in the Mediterranean still lack access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation; there is an increasing competition between different water users and uses; and significant investments are needed to maintain and improve water infrastructure. The economic, financial and governance aspects of water resources management are usually at the heart of… read more
21 March 2022. Urban green spaces, such as parks, playgrounds, and residential greenery, can promote mental and physical health by reducing exposure to air pollutants, noise and excessive heat. The “Webinar on Urban Nature, Green Spaces and Health” organized jointly by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe on 21 March 2022, addressed the positive impacts of urban nature and green spaces on health and wellbeing, and highlighted good practices and perspectives for action towards more liveable and healthy cities. The webinar took stock of the latest evidence on the impacts of… read more
Groundwater resources are the main source of the water supply in many Mediterranean countries and are subjected to pressures resulting from unequal distribution, accessibility, and quality issues. Groundwater-intensive exploitation contributed to the decrease, deterioration, and disappearance of over 50% of wetlands during the past century. Wetlands’ ecosystem services are among the most productive habitats in the world. They can be considered as “biological supermarkets”, since they provide great volumes of food for many species, including humans. Yet, wetlands cover only between 1.7% to 2.4% of the total area of the Mediterranean coast. With a view to protecting Mediterranean wetlands, the… read more
In the Mediterranean region, there are over 80 million hectares of degraded land. More than 400,000 hectares of forests are burned each year and at least 16% of animal and plant species in Mediterranean forests are at risk of extinction due to environmental threats such as forest fires driven by climate change. Effective planning, implementation, and monitoring of large-scale programmes such as Forest Preservation and Landscape Restoration (FLR) are critical to achieving climate and restoration goals in the Mediterranean region. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Food Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) support a project to… read more
10-13 March 2022. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, participated in the “Second Antalya Diplomacy Forum – Recoding Diplomacy”, which took place on 10-13 March 2022 in Turkey. The Secretary General of the UfM moderated the opening panel of the first day of the Conference on the thematic: “Post-Pandemic Recovery, Livelihoods and Localities”. In a panel that was broadcasted live, Secretary General of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, Lazār Comānescu, the Secretary General of the D-8, Isiaka A. Imam, the Minister of State, African Integration and Diaspora of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, Kandia… read more
This year’s the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) Award for enterprises boosting local communities in the Southern Mediterranean will be held in the framework of the celebrations of the Day of the Mediterranean. The deadline to receive candidacies has been extended until the15 of August 2022. The UfM is once again part of the jury of the award, a prize that seeks to encourage recognition of young Mediterranean entrepreneurs. #ARLEMaward The UfM is proud to support again this year the fourth edition of the ARLEM Award for Young Local Entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean. Registration is now open for the prize… read more
The UfM, in partnership with the Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa of FAO and the International Center for advanced Mediterranean agronomic studies (CIHEAM), organized the online event “Agri-food systems facing climate change in the MENA region: gender equality for better resilience”. 7 March 2022. In the context of the 2022 International Women’s Day, recognizing this year the contribution of women and girls to build a more sustainable future, the UfM organised, in partnership with the Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa of FAO and the CIHEAM , the online event on “Agri-food systems… read more
