Turtles Uragano and Tempesta- hurricaine and tempest in Italian- were safely returned to the Mediterranean Sea after weeks of care in the recovery center of Manfredonia. Victims of accidental capture, the two loggerhead turtles were freed ahead of the COMMON Project training course on protection of marine endangered species. This first training course and transfer activities within the Plastic Busters MPAs and COMMON Projects was organized by the Università degli Studi di Siena, in area of the master’s degree in ‘Sustainability and Environmental Ecotoxicology’ and lead by expert and teacher Maria Cristina Fossi. The course was hosted by NGO Legambiente, with its Sea Turtle Rescue Centre in… read more
Geneva, 27-28 January 2020. Following UfM’s commitment to contributing to a greater economic integration in the Mediterranean, UfM Secretary General (SG), Nasser Kamel, held bilateral meetings in Geneva with Roberto Azevêdo, Director General of WTO, Mukhisa Kituyi , Secretary General of UNCTAD, Seth Nikhil, Executive Director of UNITAR, and OIga Algayerová, Executive Secretary of UNECE. On his first meeting with Roberto Azevêdo, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), SG Kamel provided a background on the trade-related UfM scope of action, which includes the deepening of the South-South economic integration and a strengthening of the Euro-Mediterranean trade partnership, inter alia… read more
The plenary Session of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) gathered over 100 representatives of local and regional authorities at the UfM headquarters in Barcelona. The annual meeting of ARLEM centered its debates on action against Climate Change in the Mediterranean Barcelona, 23 January 2020. The 11th Plenary Session of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) gathered over 100 representatives of local and regional authorities at the UfM headquarters in Barcelona with climate action at the centre of the debates. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, welcomed participants to the UfM headquarters and recalled the launching, 25 years ago, of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, which laid the foundations for the… read more
Barcelona, 18 December 2019. The Senior Officials of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) endorsed today the program ENI CBC Med, whose aim is to reinforce the impact of funded projects across the Mediterranean region through the creation of four thematic clusters of projects: environment and climate change, business and SMEs development, technological transfer and innovation and social inclusion and fight against poverty. This meeting of Senior Officials was the last one of the year 2019 and the opportunity to push forward cooperation and synergies for 2020. The encounter was the chance to discuss a number of other issues, such… read more
More than 7000 participants gathered at the third Edition of the World Youth Forum in Egypt, where the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, attended the closing session and commended youth on their crucial role in shaping the future of the region. In a unique partnership, the World Youth Forum hosted the first-ever Model Union for the Mediterranean, where 90 young delegates drafted ministerial declarations to address pressing issues such as youth unemployment and the impact of climate change and called for a stronger regional cooperation. The UfM collaborated with the World Youth Forum and interacted with key actors promoting… read more
The UfM support the Ministerial mandate on research and innovation by facilitating exchanges between researchers and experts on possible interlinkages between climate and environmental change, and the root causes of migration. According to a preliminary report by the MedECC group, the Mediterranean region is warming 20% faster than the global average, with sea level rises that may exceed 1 metre by 2100, impacting one third of the region’s population. 17 December 2019. Barcelona. On the occasion of the launch of the new EuroMedMig Working Paper Series, the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is hosting an expert exchange… read more
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UfM Secretariat have renewed their cooperation by signing a €600.000 annual financial agreement to foster job creation and employability of women and youth in North Africa. Barcelona, December 2019. Following the implementation of the previous agreement (2014 – 2018), which was supporting UfM labelled projects and specific activities addressing women empowerment in the region, a new agreement has been designed in close coordination with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, devoted to channel the necessary financial resources to UfM labelled projects fostering job creation and employability of women and youth in North… read more
The Mediterranean region is warming 20% faster than the global average, according to the first-ever scientific report on the impact of climate change in the Mediterranean, presented at the COP25 The UfM Secretary General called for evidence-based climate policies in order for the Mediterranean region to effectively address pressing environmental challenges. The UfM signed partnership agreements with the World Meteorological Organisation and the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency. It also presented major regional initiatives on climate action together with the Republic of Cyprus, the European Commission and UNDP. Madrid, 13 December 2019. The Mediterranean region has already reached the temperature rise… read more
13 December, Madrid – The UfM and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) organized a side-event at the UN Conference COP25 focusing on identifying mitigation and adaptation actions in Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. The session also discussed how to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs’) implementation through supporting community-based mitigation, adaptation and cross-cutting actions. Quote by Cassie Flynn, Strategic Advisor on Climate Change at the Executive Office, UNDP: “transparency and inclusiveness are needed for robust and consistent NDCs”. This side-event also gave an opportunity to present and share experience about possible synergies amongst UfM member countries on how to mobilize… read more
13 December, Madrid. The UfM region is performing well in attracting international public climate finance. Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries have attracted between 12% and 13% of the global international public climate finance commitments each year. However, despite this positive performance, the UfM region still has a margin of progress, as investments in adaptation are only representing approximatively one-third of mitigation commitments. The UfM presented the true-to-life steps to accomplish climate actions, from initiating policies to enhancing climate finance access and action implementation in the margins of the UN conference COP25 in Madrid. Quote by Mr. Mokhtar Hammami, Minister of… read more
