News

• Keeping the global temperature rise to below 2oC, the target set by the Paris Agreement, calls for actions that cannot only rely on nationally-determined contributions. A coordinated regional approach on Climate Action is needed to successfully achieve this target in the Mediterranean, one of the most sensitive areas in terms of the impact of climate change. • Over 50 climate experts from UfM member countries, representatives from international organisations working in the field of climate action (UNEP, EBRD, etc.) and civil society representatives are gathering today under the auspices of the French Ministry for Environment, Energy and the Sea,… read more

The UfM-labelled project Young Women as Job Creators is currently benefitting more than 2,000 young Mediterranean women eager to set up their own enterprises. The project was presented as a best regional cooperation practice at the Cairo International Women Empowerment, Entrepreneurs and SMEs Summit. Barcelona, 5 May 2016. In the framework of the VIII Mediterranean Women Entrepreneurs Forum, held in Cairo on 28 April, UfM Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Delphine Borione, presented the results of the UfM-labelled project Young Women as Job Creators…. read more

• The President of the Autonomous Region of Murcia (CARM), Pedro Sánchez López, and the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Fathallah Sijilmassi, have held today their first institutional meeting during Sijilmassi’s official visit to the region. • Both are participating in the 17th Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM), which is hosted today by CARM…. read more

50 international experts on gender equality from UfM governments, international organisations and civil society organisations met on 25-26 April at the UfM headquarters in Barcelona to prepare the ground for the Ministerial Meeting on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society, planned to take place in the first half of 2017…. read more

• The Employability in the Mediterranean Conference took place on 14 April in Marseille in the presence of the Minister for Professional Training and Employment of Tunisia, Zied Ladhari, and with the attendance of over 120 participants including Young Mediterranean Leaders and representatives of local, national and international institutions as well as representatives from the Mediterranean private sector. Young beneficiaries of the UfM-labelled project New Chance Mediterranean (MedNC) were also present. • Minister Ladhari said:“There are many synergies between Mediterranean countries on topics concerning unemployment and there are so many interregional actions that can regenerate opportunities for businesses, people, job… read more

• UfM Secretary General Sijilmassi presented UfM initiatives and projects undertaken in 2015 to the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs. The meeting was also attended by members of the EP’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the UfM. • The Secretary General highlighted the UfM Secretariat’s commitment “to further contribute, through its activities, to tackling the socio-economic root causes of current security and migration challenges through an enhanced common agenda for human development, stability and integration in the Mediterranean.”… read more

• The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Fathallah Sijilmassi, received on 15 April the Vice-President of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) in charge of international relations and cooperation, Alfred Bosch. • They exchanged views on UfM activities and discussed ways to continue advancing cooperation between the Secretariat and MedCities, a Euro-Mediterranean network of municipalities hosted by the AMB…. read more

• The southern shores of the Mediterranean are among the world’s most water-scarce, with over 150 million people affected. The UfM is implementing 15 projects specifically on Sustainable Development, representing close to €4 billion in investments for the region • The 1st Meeting of the Drafting Group of the UfM Expert Water Group has taken place in Athens to discuss ways to further cooperate through a common regional agenda…. read more

• In order to stimulate job creation and foster youth employability in the region, urgent measures need to be taken such as increasing labour demand, improving policies for demand-supply matching and promoting the transition from informal to formal employment, among others. • Fostering youth employment is a key priority for the UfM as it is essential for regional human development, stability and integration. Ministers of Employment from the 43 UfM member States will meet at the 3rd UfM Ministerial Meeting on Employment and Labour on 26 September 2016…. read more

• The Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and UN-Habitat sign a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaboration for an integrated approach to urban development, focusing on water management, risk reduction and resilience. • Fostering sustainable urban development is paramount to effectively advance integration, stability and human development in the Mediterranean…. read more