With an opening ceremony at the Duni Theater, Matera has officially launched its year as Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue 2026, bringing together institutional representatives, cultural actors and Euro-Mediterranean partners around a shared message of dialogue, heritage and cooperation. Representing the UfM, Deputy Secretary General for Human Development Petra Kežman highlighted culture’s role as a driver of peace, stability and development across the region, while underlining the shared commitment of Matera and Tétouan, Morocco, as the two title holders for 2026. Matera, 20 March 2026. Under the theme Cantiere-Mediterraneo. Millennial Contemporary, the opening ceremony transformed the Duni Theater construction… read more
The Mediterranean is warming 20% faster than the global average, intensifying climate-related anomalies such as droughts, extreme heat, floods and ecosystem disruption, and threatening water, food and energy security for over 500 million people. Ahead of World Water Day 2026, UfM Member States adopted three landmark regional strategies – on the WEFE Nexus, Water Finance and Digital Transformation of the water sector – setting a shared course for the Euro-Mediterranean region through to 2030. Barcelona, 19 March 2026 – The Mediterranean is warming faster than almost anywhere else on Earth. Droughts that came once in a generation now arrive almost… read more
16 February 2026, Online. Applications are now open for the ARLEM Award – Young Local Entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean, which enters its eighth edition in 2026. Organised by the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM), the award recognises outstanding young entrepreneurs whose businesses contribute to local development across the Mediterranean partner countries. The prize highlights innovative enterprises led by young entrepreneurs and supported by their local or regional authorities, emphasising the important role that local institutions play in fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems and creating opportunities for young people across the region. Applicants must run a registered enterprise that has been operating… read more
5 March 2026, online – The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and CIHEAM jointly organised the online webinar “Justice in the Fields and in our Plates: Women’s rights as a driver of sustainable food systems transitions”, within the SFS-MED Platform. Held in the context of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 and ahead of International Women’s Day, which this year is under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls”, the discussion brought together around 100 Mediterranean stakeholders to reflect on a question that is increasingly central to food systems debates: how can women’s access to… read more
Ahead of International Women’s Day, five new Deputy Secretaries General (DSGs) have been appointed by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), bringing the leadership team to six DSGs, four of whom are women. The new team, announced ahead of the International Women’s Day, reflects the UfM’s commitment to inclusive and merit-based leadership at the highest institutional level. The appointments follow the adoption of the UfM’s new Strategic Vision and institutional reform, strengthening the UfM as a central platform for dialogue, cooperation and partnership among the 43 members states of the Euro-Mediterranean region. Under the new governance structure, DSGs assume strengthened… read more
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and CIHEAM will co-host a high-level webinar on 5 March 2026, ahead of the International Women’s Day (8 March), focusing on women’s access to justice in rural areas and agrifood systems. The event is anchored in the IWD 2026 theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls” and aligns with the United Nations International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, recognising women farmers as key drivers of agricultural development. Speakers include senior voices from the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Ministry of Agriculture of Lebanon, the American University of Beirut and the Ethical… read more
Barcelona, 26 February 2026. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has announced the winners of the “UfM Student Competition on Urban Design 2025: Exploring Mediterranean Urban Solutions to Climate Change and Resilience”, launched with the financial support of the Minitre of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands under the UfM Network of Schools of Architecture and Urban Planning to recognise youth-led projects advancing environmental and climate action through urban design. Following the review of around 80 proposals submitted by students from 37 universities across 12 UfM countries, an international jury awarded First, Second and Third Prizes, as well as five Mentions. The jury… read more
16 February 2026, Barcelona, Spain. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), in partnership with the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF), has officially launched the call for applications for the title of Mediterranean Capital of Culture and Dialogue 2028 (MCCD 2028). The initiative will designate two cities from different shores of the Mediterranean to lead a year-long cultural programme in 2028 aimed at promoting intercultural dialogue, inclusion, and regional cooperation. Open to local and regional authorities in all UfM member states, the call invites cities of any size — coastal or inland — to submit proposals that combine a strong local cultural… read more
The high-level dialogue that brought together the UfM, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and representatives from the European Union aimed at aligning development and investment agendas, identifying opportunities for partnership, and translating policy recommendations into action. The UfM region remains to be one of the most economically fragmented regions in the world with trade and investment flows profoundly skewed, interconnectivity potential yet to be unlocked, and mobility of people curtailed by several obstacles. Brussels, 11 February 2026 – Successive disruptions over the last few years have demonstrated the extent to which… read more
29 January 2026, Bratislava. The members of the UfM Regional Platform on Employment and Labour took part in a study visit to the European Labour Authority (ELA) in Bratislava, organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL), to strengthen cooperation on fair labour mobility and tackling undeclared work. The visit gathered representatives from 12 UfM Member States, social partners and ELA experts to exchange good practices and explore operational tools that support effective labour inspections and cross-border cooperation. Discussions recalled the mandate adopted by UfM Ministers of Employment and Labour at their 2022 Ministerial Meeting in… read more
