28 July 2021, Rome. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel intervened today at the United Nations Food Systems Pre-Summit, held on26-28 July at the Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome, Italy. Under the leadership of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and in partnership with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, this hybrid event aimed to set the scene for the Food Systems Summit in September. During the Pre-Summit, Secretary General Kamel spoke on the panel “Steering the Food System Summit Towards Full Integration of Blue Foods for Health, Wealth and Ecological Recovery”, co-organized by the FAO Secretariat, the… read more
28 July 2021, Rome. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel and Italian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Marina Sereni met in Rome today to discuss Italy’s ongoing collaboration in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and development. The meeting, which focused on the strategic importance of the Mediterranean for the future of Europe, highlighted Italy’s work not only within its mandate as a UfM member but also in the implementation of the EU New Agenda for the Mediterranean, its Economic and Investment Plan, and the external dimension of the EU Green Deal. Topics such as Blue Economy, the UfM’s upcoming Environment and… read more
ADEME and its partners, Union for the Mediterranean and Plan Bleu, awarded the Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Awards at the “Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation: experience and good practices” conference today, July 27th 2021. The event’s Big Winner was Algeria’s National Sanitation Office for its innovative water treatment plant with filters in the Tamacine area. 27 July 2021. The Mediterranean region is at high risk from climate change, according to the First Mediterranean Assessment Report prepared by the independent network of Mediterranean Experts on Climate and environmental Change (MedECC) By the end of the century, the average temperature in the Mediterranean should rise… read more
The UfM Secretariat, with the support of the German Development Cooperation, fulfills the call of the UfM Trade Ministers on their 11th Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Trade Ministers Conference of 10 November 2020 on the organization of trainings and technical assistance for ministries, customs authorities and businesses on the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention of Rules of Origin, in order to enhance the capacities of those actors and thereby increase the benefits of the respective trade agreements.” 29 July 2021. The UfM Secretariat, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Egypt and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)… read more
16 July 2021, Barcelona. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel and European Investment Bank (EIB) Vice-President Ricardo Mourinho Félix met virtually to discuss the UfM-EIB strategic partnership for the development of the Mediterranean area. The EIB is a very active partner in the region, contributing with advice and financing to significant investment programs. The meeting, which touched upon strengthening resilience and building prosperity in the region through digital and green transitions, focused on promoting climate resilience, and energy and environmental sustainability. The Secretary General and Vice-President Mourinho Félix discussed environmental and climate action, as well as the topics of Blue Economy investment… read more
14 July 2021. The Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) convened by videoconference in a meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Trade and Investment (formerly known as the UfM Trade Senior Officials Meeting), chaired by teh UfM Co-Presidency of the European Commission and Jordan. The meeting followed up on the 11th UfM Trade Ministers Conference held in November 2020, and agreed a Work Programme for the coming period focused around three main pillars: Sustainable Trade: participants reviewed the EU Trade Policy Review, the main findings of a study for an ex-post evaluation of the trade… read more
12 July, Barcelona. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Secretary General Nasser Kamel met with the President of the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), Prof. Abdelhamid El-Zoheiry, to reaffirm the UfM’s commitment to the institution. EMUNI conducts accredited study programmes and quality research serving Euro-Mediterranean interests and addressing regional challenges, as well as contributing to a dynamic network of higher education and research institutions as an inclusive platform for inter-cultural dialogue and science diplomacy in the region. Prof. El-Zoheiry also met the UfM Higher Education and Research Division team to discuss the implementation of the UfM’s commitments to the University. In particular,… read more
10 July 2021, Dubrovnik. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Nasser Kamel, participated on the 9th and 10th of July in the 14th edition of the Dubrovnik Forum, held under the title “(Post)-Pandemic Geopolitics – Together in a World Apart”. The Forum was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, alongside the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković. The high-level event brought together around 200 participants in physical format, among others many Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the region, as well as representatives of international and regional… read more
The UfM Regional Platform in Research and Innovation has approved new research agendas for the Mediterranean, on Climate Change, Health, and Renewable Energy. The Platform launched a call for a new ministerial meeting and the creation of an impactful implementation plan for its agendas. The UfM was also a partner in a workshop launching the Horizon Europe Programme in the Mediterranean. 7-8 July, Barcelona. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Regional Platform in Research and Innovation (R&I) celebrated its 27th meeting on July 7, attended by representatives of Ministries of Research. The aim of the meeting was to discuss and… read more
The UfM promotes social dialogue between representatives of employers, workers and governments as a prerequisite to meaningful post-pandemic recovery in the region. With the economic difficulties facing private sector worldwide, and the slowing of employment and labour progress caused by the pandemic, there is a risk of neglecting such social dialogues in the short term. Enhancing the skills of the workforce must be a critical part of effective dialogue between all parties involved. Barcelona, 8 July 2021. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) today held a conference on “Social Dialogue with Social Partners” together with BUSINESSMED, the European Training Foundation… read more
