News

If nothing is changed by 2050, water-related issues with an impact on agriculture, health, and incomes could lower the GDP of the Middle East and North Africa region by 6-14%[1]. 3 out of 4 jobs worldwide are water-dependent [2], yet 50 million jobs should be created in the next decade to absorb the growing labour supply in the Mediterranean region. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has led the development of a regional Water Agenda and a financial strategy to help achieve access to water for all. Barcelona, 19 March 2019. The Mediterranean region is one of the 25 “hotspots” impacted… read more

Barcelona, 18 March 2019. The Secretary General of the UfM, Nasser Kamel, met today with Fakhry Alhazaimeh, the Executive President of the Agadir Technical Unit (ATU) responsible for the Trade Technical issues related to the Arab Mediterranean Free Trade Agreement (Agadir Agreement). The UfM Secretary General Kamel highlighted the importance and the opportunities of trade liberalization between the Mediterranean partners. He encouraged to continue the positive efforts among the members of the Agadir Agreement in terms of south-south and south-north trade integration, which also lead to the political decision to enlarge the membership of the Agreement to two additional members,… read more

Around 2 billion people around the globe work informally, most of them in emerging and developing countries, including a 68.8% in the Arab World. The absolute majority of these workers do not enjoy social protection, rights at work or decent working conditions, which seriously hampers the sustainable and inclusive development efforts on the ground. Most people end up in the informal economy not out of choice, but out of need in the absence of any other viable and decent alternative that would protect their rights in a properly-functioning labour market. The UfM Secretariat joins the regional and global efforts aiming… read more

The Action Plan on UfM Cooperation on fight against Piracy and Counterfeiting is one of the important deliverables of the UfM Ministerial Conference on Trade, held last year in Brussels Intellectual Property-intensive sectors account for 42% of the European Union’s Gross Domestic Product, worth €5.7 trillion and generates 38% of all jobs About 5% of all good imported into the European Union are counterfeit or pirated, which is equivalent to €85 billion in illegal trade The UfM Secretariat is actively engaged in promoting trade in the UfM Region, given the very low economic integration levels, specially amongst the southern Mediterranean… read more

Paris, 6 March 2019. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, met today with the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly, following an invitation by Marielle de Sarnez, Chair of the Committee. During the meeting, Secretary General Kamel presented the recent activities and initiatives developed and supported by the UfM, underlining the role of the organisation in a rapidly evolving regional context, while emphasizing the need to reinforce regional cooperation. He provided an update on UfM region-wide agendas on women’s empowerment and water as well as on the role and… read more

UfM country representatives and experts from the region are currently developing a mechanism to monitor the progress made on women’s rights, evaluate gender gaps and provide recommendations to policymakers. Women’s emporwement is a UfM priority working area. The organisation is currently promoting region-wide cooperation projects on women’s entrepreunership, health, gender equality, fight against gender violence and prevention of extremism. A regional research study on the role of women and youth in preventing violent extremism will be released next April as a complement of the UfM-labelled project “Enhancing the civic and social engagement of women and youth in preventing violence and… read more

26-27 February 2019, Seville. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel,  participated in the 10th Plenary Session of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly, which took place in Seville on the 26th and 27th February. The annual gathering of the Assembly of regional and local authorities of the Euro-Mediterranean region (ARLEM) focused its debates on two main topics, “Governance and Transparency” and “Youth Entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean”, with the presentation and approval of two reports on those important subjects. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, presented the members of ARLEM with an overview of the activities,… read more

Sofia, 25 February 2019. In the framework of his outreach to Member States, the UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, has paid his first official visit to Bulgaria on the 25th of February 2019, following an invitation by Ekaterina Zakharieva, Deputy Prime Minister for Judicial Reform and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria. During their meeting, Secretary General Kamel expressed his appreciation to Minister Zakharieva for the support of her country to the UfM, highlighting that Bulgaria has always been a natural bridge between Europe and the Southern Mediterranean countries, and has close ties to the Mare Nostrum in… read more

Athens, 19-20 February 2019. The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, paid a working visit to Athens from 19 to 20 February 2019, where he was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, George Katrougalos. The new Alternate Minister for European Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, Sia Anagnostopoulou, also joined the meeting. During their meeting, Secretary General Kamel expressed his appreciation to the Minister for the support of his country to the UfM, highlighting the role of Greece as a strong proponent of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, and a country with a rich Mediterranean heritage. Secretary General Kamel also… read more

13-14 February 2019, Strasbourg. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, participated in the 6th Summit of Presidents of Parliament and the 15th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the UfM (PA-UfM), which took place in Strasbourg on the 13th and 14th February. The annual gathering of the 280 members of the Parliamentary Assembly, that marks the end of the European Parliament’s Presidency of the Bureau, focused its debates on the important topic of “the challenges of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean”. European Parliament’s President Antonio Tajani, as well as EU Commissioner for… read more