13 June 2019, Barcelona. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, received today in the UfM headquarters in Barcelona the High Representative of the United Nations for the Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), Miguel Ángel Moratinos. UNAOC is mentioned in the Paris Declaration of 2008, that established the UfM, as an important institution for the development of the Cultural dimension of Euro-Mediterranean relations. The UfM is a member of the Group of Friends of the UNAOC and the two institutions have already cooperated in a number of joint initiatives, namely the High Level meeting on Intercultural… read more
5+5 Dialogue countries adopted a new set of priorities and a work plan for 2019-2020, promoting sustainable economic growth, social inclusion and creating new opportunities for youth in the Western Mediterranean Region The work plan includes the project “BlueSkills: Blue Jobs and Responsible Growth in the Mediterranean”, labelled by the UfM in March 2019 Rome, 10 June 2019. The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, addressed the Ministers in charge of Research, Innovation and Higher Education of the countries of the Western Mediterranean Forum (commonly referred to as “5+5 Dialogue”) on the occasion of their… read more
Brussels, 11 June 2019. The UfM organized on 11 June 2019 its first technical Workshop on Project Preparation for Transformational Climate Resilience Water Projects in the Mediterranean Region for the Green Climate Fund. The Mediterranean is one of the 25 climate change hotspot cuasing water scarcity, demographic change including concentration of economic activities and population in coastal areas, changing consumption patterns with growing energy needs and reliance on climate-sensitive agriculture, etc. The region is expected to face even more severe climate‑related vulnerabilities, such as extreme weather events like droughts and floods, increase of soil erosion and desert areas, sea level rise, etc.,… read more
Following the preparatory thematic fora held in various cities of the region in the run up to the Summit of the Two Shores, the Tunis forum brought together 100 civil society personalities from the 5+5 Dialogue countries. The event retained concrete project proposals and recommendations for practical cooperation that will be presented to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Western Mediterranean next 24 June in Marseille. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) actively participated in the Forum by putting forward the views and project ideas of the youth and civil society from all the European Union and Mediterranean countries…. read more
Every year, around 7 million deaths are caused by outdoor and household air pollution, 1 million of those in the European and Eastern Mediterranean regions.[1] At the same time the Mediterranean region offers huge potential for sustainable and environmentally friendly development and different actors in the region actively support the transition to an inclusive, circular and green economy The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) supports the implementation of regional agendas on environment, water, energy efficiency, low carbon energy sources (Gas) and renewable energies as well as blue economy with the objective of tackling all sources of pollution. Barcelona, 5 June… read more
More than 100 engaged representatives of the civil society, youth organisations and non-state actors from the Euro-Mediterranean region met in Barcelona to discuss the most pressing challenges faced by the region. The recommendations and project proposals drawn from the exchanges will feed the UfM Strategy for Youth and will contribute to the Summit of the Two Shores’ (“Sommet des Deux rives”)[i] debates by putting forward the views of the youth and civil society from the entire region. On 22-23 May 2019 in Barcelona, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) hosted the Regional Conference “Shared Views on key issues in the… read more
The Legacy event: ‘EU Med means Business – Shaping the future of entrepreneurship in the South’ focused on unleashing entrepreneurial potential, as well as growing and retaining talent in the Euro-Mediterranean Region, in the presence and with the active participation of young entrepreneurs and relative stakeholders. UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel stressed the importance of entrepreneurship to unlocking the creative potential of younger people and encouraging smart and creative solutions and business models that are functional, sustainable and resilient Brussels, 21-22 May 2019. The UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel has participated in the Legacy event: ‘EU Med means Business -… read more
On the occasion of the 2nd World Conference on the Revitalization of the Mediterranean Diet in Palermo, the UfM met with CIHEAM and FAO to partner in support to a new platform on sustainable food systems in the region Within the conference, UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, participated in the session “A Mediterranean Contribution on Environment and Sustainable Co-Development to the Summit of the Two Shores”, to which the UfM is contributing with a UfM Regional Dialogue Forum in Barcelona Palermo, 15-17 May 2019. The Conference, organised by CIHEAM Bari and the Forum on Mediterranean Food Cultures and under the… read more
Following the Rabat Forum on “Economy and Competitiveness”, this is the fourth thematic forum, organised by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the French Ministry of Culture, in the run up to the Summit of the Two Shores (24June, Marseille). Le Sommet des Deux Rives is part of the 5+5 Dialogue, which brings together five States from the southern shore of the Mediterranean (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) and five States from the northern shore (France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain). Germany, as well as pan-Mediterranean organizations and international economic organizations present in the region, are involved in… read more
One year after the International Donor Conference, additional international funding has been obtained for the project. The first tenders have been launched and the first construction works are due to start in August. The desalination plant is expected to supply drinking water to 2 million Palestinian inhabitants in Gaza, where over 97% of the water is not drinkable Barcelona, 2 May 2019. The available water in Gaza is among the lowest in the world and 97% is unfit for human consumption. To meet this urgent need, and on the occasion of the annual spring meeting of the international donor coordination… read more
