March 7, 2025, Barcelona – In celebration of International Women’s Day 2025, the Union for the Mediterranean hosted a webinar exploring the nexus between gender, climate change, and security, which gathered 230 registered participants. The recording of the session is now available for viewing and can be accessed by following this link. The event brought together experts, practitioners, and activists to shed light on the interconnections between these issues, particularly in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The webinar also marked the official launch of the second UfM-IEMed MedWE Policy Paper: “Climate Crisis and Gender Equality in the Euro-Mediterranean Region – Emerging Security… read more
26-28 February 2025, Fes, Morocco. The Mediterranean Youth Water Hackathon concluded on 28 February 2025, bringing together young innovators from across the region to tackle critical challenges within the Water, Energy, Food, and Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus. Organised by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and supported by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), Sida, HLD pour la Méditerranée, and Young Water Solutions, the event was implemented by Cewas, MedYWat, and the EuroMed University of Fes (UEMF). The three-day hackathon provided a dynamic and interactive platform for 15 outstanding teams, composed of 28 young participants, selected from a highly competitive pool of… read more
The region is a climate change hotspot, the effects of which disproportionally impact women. Watch the UfM’s International Women’s Day webinar on gender, climate change and security, which explored how to capitalise on women’s potential to counter climate change and address its implications for peace and safety. Later this year the UfM will present the 2nd Progress Report on Gender Equality in the Euro-Mediterranean Region. With figures from the first-ever Intergovernmental Gender Monitoring Mechanism, it will provide policymakers with data-informed recommendations to close the gender gap in the region. 8 March 2025, Barcelona. As another International Women’s Day is marked, it… read more
The UfM undertakes a first landmark step towards engaging policymakers from the UfM Member States in the formulation of multilateral trade and investment policies, leveraging the expertise of international trade and investment organisations. The study visit will pave the way for enhanced collaboration between UfM Member States and international trade institutions, aiming at greater regional economic integration and sustainable investment strategies to enhance competitiveness and trade resilience. Geneva, 25-27 February 2025. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) successfully concluded its Study Visit on International Trade and Investment Policy held from February 25 to 27, 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. Organized in… read more
The ARLEM Award – Young local entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean goes into its seventh edition, and once again within the framework of the celebrations of the Day of the Mediterranean and with the support of the UfM. Registration is now open for the prize for entrepreneurial enterprises boosting local communities in the Southern Mediterranean, awarded by the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) and until 15th of May 2025. The prize will be awarded to a young entrepreneur up to 36 years old, supported by her/his regional or local community and whose company has been registered for at least 3 years…. read more
11 February 2025, online – On the occasion of the 10th International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) organized a webinar to highlight achievements, challenges, and opportunities for women in STEM across the Mediterranean region. The event brought together policymakers, researchers, and young professionals to discuss strategies for enhancing gender equality in scientific fields. In his opening remarks, the Deputy Secretary General for Higher Education and Research, Joan Borrell, emphasized that science and technology play a crucial role in addressing global challenges, from climate change to food security, and that these challenges can… read more
6-7 February 2025, Malta – The Ad-hoc Meeting of the Drafting Group for the Ministerial Declaration on Water in the Mediterranean convened on 6–7 February 2025 in Malta, hosted by the Maltese Energy & Water Agency (EWA). This meeting initiated the drafting process for the 2nd UfM Ministerial Declaration on Water, as agreed during the 14th Meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Water in Lisbon, June 2024. The UfM presented a draft outline of the Ministerial Declaration, which was well-received by UfM member states. Participants engaged in discussions along the main themes, and their feedback will be incorporated into… read more
Barcelona, 14 February 2025. In anticipation of the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process, a landmark Euro-Mediterranean initiative to bring the region’s countries together to address common challenges, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) gathered more than 120 institutional and civil society actors as well as senior officials from the organisation’s 43 Member States over three days to provide inputs on how to strengthen regional cooperation with a view to redefining it for the years to come. Against the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East and other critical issues such as alarming climate trends and widening socioeconomic disparities,… read more
The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Nasser Kamel gave a keynote address at the conference entitled “30 years of the Barcelona Process: Towards a New Euro-Mediterranean Policy,” held on 27 January and hosted by the President of the Parliament of Catalonia. The event, co-organized by the Catalan European Movement and the European Institute of the Mediterranean, brought together Members of the European Parliament, as well as experts and speakers from various institutions. In his speech, the UfM Secretary General Kamel recalled that the Barcelona Process was a bold and visionary initiative to transform the Mediterranean region… read more
23 January 2025, Brussels – The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Nasser Kamel visited Brussels on January 22 and 23, where he held meetings with the newly appointed EU HR/VP and UfM Co-President Kaja Kallas, and the Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica. He also addressed the Plenary Session of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood. In their meeting, HR/VP Kallas and SG Kamel discussed the future of the Euro-Mediterranean region ahead of the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process. SG Kamel underlined the UfM’s role as the leading multilateral… read more
