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
Following the Algiers forum on energy, this is the second thematic forum, organised by the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion, in the run up to the Summit of the Two Shores (24 June, Marseille). Two UfM-labelled projects have been retained as part of the initiatives that will be presented in a pre-Summit Forum in Tunis next 11 June. Malta, 25 April, 2019. The Malta Forum on Youth, Education and Mobility entitled “Investing in a Mediterranean Generation”, gathered over 160 participants to highlight the importance of civil society and youth-led initiatives with a focus on education and mobility. In… read more
Rabat, 29 April 2019. The UfM Deputy Secretary General in charge of Business Development and Employment, Rachid Maaninou, participated in Rabat, Morocco, on the Mediterranean Economy and Competitiveness Forum held on 29 April 2019. This was the third of five forums held in preparation for the Summit of the Two Shores – Mediterranean Forum in Marseille. The goal of the Economy and Competitiveness Forum, led by Morocco’s Economic, Social and Environmental Council, was to develop tangible initiatives to address the economic, competitiveness and innovation issues facing the Mediterranean region. The forum focused on the following themes: entrepreneurship and competitiveness; the… read more
9-11 April 2019, Barcelona. The UfM Climate Week has taken place in Barcelona gathering a wide range of actors (UfM members’ representatives, civil society, IFIs, scientific experts…). During last week, several climate-related meetings were organised at the premises of the UfM Secretariat to discuss the impacts of climate change on agriculture, the state of climate finance in the region regarding water, renewables and other specific sectors, a scientific meeting to assess on the risks of climate change and it was as well the occasion to host the third General Assembly meeting of the Mediterranean Youth Climate Network (MYCN). The seventh meeting… read more
Cairo, 11-12 April 2019. In recognition of the importance of the Trade file as a priority area of action for the UfM Secretariat within the framework of its Business Development and Employment agenda, and in preparation for the upcoming UfM Business Forum which will take place in Cairo, Egypt on 18 June 2019, a delegation from the UfM Secretariat headed by DSG Rachid Maaninou undertook a working visit to Egypt on 10-11 April 2019. The UfM Delegation held a meeting with H.E. Eng. Amr Nassar, the Minister of Trade and Industry of Egypt, as well as officials from the Ministry…. read more
