The first high-level coordination meeting between the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and World Health Organization (WHO) took place on Thursday 28 April. The meeting brought together more than 30 representatives and experts from the UfM and WHO to discuss and explore various avenues for collaboration in order to implement the Joint Action Plan following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both parties on 5 March 2020. We need to continue exploring other common and horizontal areas of cooperation related to health to find better solutions for the common challenges we face. 28 April 2021. The global pandemic has put… read more
The Mediterranean is one of the regions hardest hit by climate change in the world, with temperatures rising 20% faster here than elsewhere, according to a study by the Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC). The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) promotes the Solar Impulse Foundation’s 1000+ solutions to protect the environment in a financially-profitable way. The UfM is partnering with R20 – Regions of Climate Action to deliver the first regional fund specifically supporting climate projects in coastal Mediterranean areas. 22 April 2021. The Mediterranean is one of the areas of Earth most impacted by climate change,… read more
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is seeking opinions on the future of Euro-Mediterranean regional cooperation in the field of research and innovation. The UfM has defined three priority areas for research and innovation cooperation: health, renewable energy, and climate change. Results will be discussed at the UfM Regional Platform in Research and Innovation in June 2021 17 March – 7 May 2021. The UfM Regional Platform in Research and Innovation (R&I) is inviting the opinion, ideas and input of relevant individuals and organisations from across the region to help outline the future of R&I cooperation between the EU and… read more
15 April 2021, Barcelona. The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, held an online meeting with Financial Centres for Sustainability (FC4S), a collective of financial centres working to accelerate the expansion of sustainable finance by enabling financial centres to exchange experience, drive convergence, and act on shared priorities, with the aim of contributing to the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. Barcelona Centre Financer Europeu and Casablanca Finance City, both members of FC4S participated at the meeting, which was facilitated by Fundación Tanja. They discussed potential future cooperation between the UfM and FC4S with the aim of… read more
The importance of the marine and maritime industries will continue to grow in the Mediterranean area, as the “Blue Economy” sector is an engine of human and economic development. Yet, skills gap between education offer and labour market needs is accentuated by the digital and climate transitions. For instance, capture fisheries in the Mediterranean support around 200,000 direct and 500,000 indirect jobs, yet across the region, the workforce is aging, with close to half of all crew members over the age of 40, while only 17% are under the age of 25. On 14 and 15 April, the Union for… read more
14 April 2021. The UfM has joined CIHEAM and CMI Marseille in launching the 41st edition of the CIHEAM Watch Letter, to give a voice to young researchers, entrepreneurs, and activists who have ideas for more sustainable and inclusive food systems in the Mediterranean region. Food systems in the Mediterranean are faced by multiple threats: climate change, pollution and environmental degradation, unemployment and economic hardship, and of course the COVID-19 health crisis. We need green, climate-resilient and sustainable solutions for agriculture, blue economy, fishing and the food systems of the future – and we need the inclusion of young people to make it happen. CIHEAM… read more
The Med4Jobs Advisory Board Meeting 2021 brought together prominent stakeholders to take stock of the state-of-play of employment-related challenges and the efforts undertaken towards a sustainable and inclusive socio-economic recovery. The Mediterranean Initiative for Jobs (Med4Jobs) is a major building block of the UfM response to the unemployment challenge in the region. With over 100,000 beneficiaries, mostly young people and women in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, it gathers best practices and success stories from the region. 25 March 2021. The UfM organized the seventh Med4Jobs Advisory Board Meeting in an online format, with the aim of discussing a broad… read more
Rai Radio 1 is giving a new momentum to the European campaign “No Woman No Panel – Senza donne non se ne parla,” designed two years ago by the European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, praised by Italian President Sergio Mattarella and supported by the European Commission office in Italy. The Union for the Mediterranean is joining this campaign to further mainstream gender equality throughout its activity. 25th of March 2021. The Union for the Mediterranean is proud to participate in Rai1’s campaign “No Woman No Panel – Senza donne non se ne parla” to improve gender representation and equality in the… read more
19th March 2021 – The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, and the President of Plan Bleu, Thierry Lavoux, virtually met today to officialize the signature of the 2nd phase of their Cooperation Agreement towards a sustainable development in the Mediterranean basin. As part of the agreement, both parties will jointly support and promote the efforts of the scientific network of Mediterranean Experts on Climate and environmental Change (MedECC). This new Cooperation Agreement guarantees the continuity and future of the MedECC Secretariat, hosted under the hospice of Plan Bleu. The Secretary General stated that, as part… read more
It is estimated that 40% of the Mediterranean’s forests are currently being degraded to some extent, due to increasing forest fires, overgrazing and destruction for agriculture and urban development 21st March marks International Forest Day, with this year’s focus on forest restoration as a path to recovery and well-being The Union for the Mediterranean is supporting a project for scaling up forest and landscape restoration in the area, particularly in Lebanon and Morocco 19st of March 2021. With International Forest Day approaching, we need to remind ourselves of the importance of forest ecosystems as a sanctuary for biodiversity, a way… read more
