After a digital training held on 1-13 September, two additional pilot trainings were provided in Jordan and Tunisia. A high-level follow-up Forum on Innovation and Employability will be held on 18 November. Jordan, 27 and 29 September 2021 / Tunisia, 21-22 October 2021. Decision-makers of higher education institutions (HEIs) and research centres, policymakers, as well as industry representatives from Jordan and Tunisia participated in the last few weeks in two trainings of two days each linking academic research to industry needs. Each course was adapted to the national contexts. After having offered a theoretical overview of the Triple Helix Model of… read more
22 October 2021. This 2021 is the “make or break year for action on energy transition”, according to the United Nations. In this very year, COP26 is also expected to bring significant implications for the energy sector towards a sustainable energy future. And in this very moment where the COVID19 pandemic has recalled us all how interlinked nature, energy, climate, health and economy are in our society, energy will allow us to recover, building back better together. 2021 is also the year when the 42 members of the Union for the Mediterranean have approved a Ministerial Declaration on Energy that raises the ambition… read more
The initiative provides a regional emergency solution to implement an innovative Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) for Higher Education in the Euro-Mediterranean region. This project will enable 300 refugees and students from the host communities to access higher education institutions in the next 3 years. 21 October 2021, Barcelona. The Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) met today at the level of Senior Officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. They endorsed a new regional initiative to support access to higher education for the refugee and displaced populations. They also discussed the preparations of the 6th UfM Regional… read more
Barcelona, 12 October. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel participated online in the high-level segment of the 2021 OSCE Mediterranean Conference held in hybrid format in Vienna on the 12 and 13 of October dedicated to the theme “Road to resilience: post-pandemic recovery and security in the OSCE and Mediterranean regions”. On his intervention, the Secretary General recalled the need to focus on three elements in a sustainable post pandemic recovery: an effective regional integration that will unleash the full social and economic potential of the Mediterranean region; an inclusive development axed in a digital transition; a recovery based in climate-resilient… read more
Ministers from the 42 Member countries of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) gathered today in Cairo at the 2nd UfM Ministerial Conference on Environment and Climate action under the Co-Presidency of Jordan and the European Union. They agreed on a common agenda to strengthen efforts in the Euro-Mediterranean region to urgently tackle the multiple climate and environmental challenges it faces. This commitment reflects the highest possible ambition in accelerating transition towards sustainable, climate-neutral and green economies. Cairo, 4 October 2021. The Ministerial Conference was chaired by Frans Timmermans, European Commission Executive Vice-President for the European Green Deal, on behalf… read more
27 September 2021, Barcelona. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel met with Ms. Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona, city where the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership was launched back in 1995 and where the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean is based. During their meeting, SG Kamel and Mayor Colau discussed the preparation of the Day of the Mediterranean and the celebration of its first edition this year in the city of Barcelona. In their first in-person meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Secretary General further emphasized the central role Barcelona has played in Euro-Mediterranean relations since the launch of… read more
The World habitat Day 2021 is about sustainable urbanization and collective global responsibility for the future of the human habitat, with a focus on moving towards carbon neutrality. The UfM Urban Agenda and the UfM Strategic Urban Development Action Plan 2040 reflect the shared strategic vision of UfM Member States for tackling adaptive urban and societal challenges and opportunities of the coming decades. 4 October 2021. The UfM joins the celebration of the World Habitat Day, which focuses on “Accelerating urban action for a carbon-free world” this year. Nearly 80% of the Mediterranean urban populations will be concentrated on 10% of… read more
29 and 30 September 2021: The UfM Practical Educational Workshop on ´´e-governance´´ in Palestine was organized digitally on 29 and 30 September, in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ, and the Estonian ICT Cluster, as a tangible initiative towards strengthening UfM-Palestine cooperation ties. This Workshop is the second in a series of UfM e-governance Workshops intended for the interested Southern Mediterranean Countries as follow-up to the conclusions of the UfM Conference on ´´Digital Transformation and Digital Skills for the Future´´ held in Tallinn (Estonian Capital), exactly two years ago, on 30 September 2019. Bringing together participants form various… read more
Barcelona, 30 September 2021. The UfM joins the international community’s efforts to spotlight seafarers’ crucial role in the global trade and economy, as Seafarers: at the core of shipping’s future has been selected as the World Maritime Day 2021’s theme for 2021, celebrated at the initiative of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on 30 September 2021 Their exceptional contribution, also while facing unprecedented hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ensures the functioning of supply chains and the transport of vital commodities and products. Indeed, keeping supply chains open at all times, ensuring a continuous flow of maritime trade, while safeguarding health, safety and… read more
20-22 September 2021, New York. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel attended the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly where he showcased the work of the Union for the Mediterranean and strengthened its partnerships with key UN institutions and agencies, such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC). Together with Assistant Secretary-General and Director for the Regional Bureau for Arab States of the UNDP Khalida Bouzar, Secretary General Kamel presented the main findings and recommendations of the UfM Regional Integration Report. They further agreed on renewing the Memorandum of Understanding between… read more
