7 March 2022. Senior Officials of the Union for the Mediterranean held virtually their first meeting of the year 2022 to review the upcoming ministerial meetings that will take place this year, namely on Employment and Labor (Marrakech, 17-18 May) and on Research and Innovation (France, virtual, 27 June). They were also updated on the potential Ministerial meeting on Transport, as well as on the proposal for a UfM Ministerial Conference on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society. Senior Officials were also briefed on the activities related to the UfM 2022 work program in several key sectors, including Urban… read more
The rate of female entrepreneurship in the Euro-Mediterranean region below the world average The first report of the Intergovernmental Monitoring Mechanism on Gender Equality in the UfM Member States is now available. Europe and the MENA region are below the 6.2% global percentage of women entrepreneurs who own established businesses (5.3% and 4.5% respectively). In the EU, women represent 57.7% of tertiary graduates, yet for now they represent only 2 out of 5 scientists and engineers INFOGRAPHIC – LINK REPORT – LINK March 7th, 2022. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has published the results of the first Report on… read more
International Women’s Day 2022 UfM to shed light on women’s economic participation in the Euro-Mediterranean region The first publication of the UfM Intergovernmental Monitoring Mechanism on Gender Equality will be published on the 4th of March, sharing the latest information on women’s economic participation, entrepreneurship and leadership in the Euro-Mediterranean region. This regular reporting exercise allows to measure and report the evolution of women’s rights and provide policy recommendations to close the gender gap in the region. The first exercise was conducted during the pandemic and the figures show the impact this crisis had on women. To face some of… read more
The new UfM Research and Innovation agenda supports three new research priorities: climate change, health and renewable energy. The UfM meeting of Senior Officials on 21 October endorsed the R&I platform proposal to hold an R&I Ministerial. The meetings followed the discussion of the first UfM Ad-hoc Senior Official Meeting convened last 20 December. 24 February 2022, Barcelona. Representatives from the UfM Copresidency and Member States met for continuing discussions towards a commong text for the upcoming UfM Ministerial Declaration on Research and Innovation. The meeting followed a first UfM Ad-hoc SOM on R&I held on 20 December 2021, as… read more
17 February 2022 – The UfM Regional Platform on Sustainable Urban Development convened its third meeting on 17 February 2022 in online format. The meeting contributed to the implementation of the UfM Urban Agenda and resumed the process of laying the groundwork at technical level for the next UfM Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Urban Development. The UfM Regional Platform, which was co-chaired by the UfM Co-Presidency, represented by Wallis Goelen, European Commission’s DG REGIO and by Jomana Attyat, Director General of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation in Jordan, was hosted by Erdal Sabri Ergen, UfM Deputy Secretary General for… read more
The event gathered governments, industry organizations, private companies, international organisations and think tanks to discuss the current challenges of the energy markets today and the road to energy transition. 14 February 2022, Cairo. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, took part in the 5th Egypt Petroleum Show in Cairo, in the panel on “Modernising global energy dialogue for industry”. The event was inaugurated by the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El Sisi, and gathered global and regional energy stakeholders including governments, heads of international organisations, private companies and think tanks. In his intervention, UfM SG pointed… read more
The France Mediterranean forum (Forum des mondes méditerranéens) brought together 1,000 participants from around the Mediterranean, around 25 workshops and a civil society village for 2 days in Marseille. A exchange on the work done by 200 young people from the region on “Mediterranean Advocacy 2030”, with the Secretary General of the UfM and the President of the Anna Lindh Foundation took place on the eve of the Forum. The closing ceremony gave the youth rapporteur time to present the conclusions of the workshops, for the Minister Franck Riester, the European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, the President of the Anna Lindh… read more
31 January- 2 February 2022, Brussels. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, visited the main counterparts of the UfMS within the EEAS and DG NEAR and held bilateral meetings with the European Commission DGs directly involved in the organization of the Ministerial meetings scheduled in 2022. The Secretary General met with Head of Division Birgit Loeser and Managing Director Fernando Gentilini and Deputy Managing Director Carl Hallergard. From DG NEAR, the meeting was hosted by Acting Director Neighborhood South Henrike Trautmann. The Secretary General shared his vision and priorities for the UfM, as well as the main initiatives and projects that… read more
The call for applications launched in November led to the selection and sponsorship of 136 women entrepreneurs and female executives from the MENA region looking to expand their network and grow their business within the region. 3 February 2022. Today, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), in partnership with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), have joined forces with Business Club Africa, to create and launch the first MENA Women Business Club. The 136 selected women entrepreneurs met with other members, exchanged views and attended the first masterclass on digital marketing. Women entrepreneurs in the MENA region who own or… read more
Over 1 in 7 persons are experiencing some form of disability globally (WHO, 2021), and they face many barriers to inclusion in some key aspects of society, even more so in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Women with disabilities are at least two to three times more likely than other women to suffer violence. Only in the EU, accessible tourism has a potential economic market of 130 million people 26-27 January 2022. This 1st Conference on Disability and Social Inclusion in the Euro-Mediterranean Region, hosted in partnership between the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Spanish ONCE Social… read more
