Barcelona, 10 May 2022 – In view of the next UfM Ministerial Conference on Transport to be held in Cairo on 3 October 2022, and following the conclusion of the preparations at the technical level within the UfM Regional Platform on Transport Connectivity, a UfM Ad-Hoc Senior Officials Meeting on Transport convened online on 10 May 2022. The meeting brought together representatives from the Ministries of Transport as well as from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of UfM Member States, and representatives of several Directorates-General of the European Commission, including DG MOVE and DG NEAR. The meeting presented and discussed the… read more
8 May 2022. Invited by Princess Rym Al Ali, President of the Anna Lindh Foundation, the UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, visited Amman on Sunday 8 of May 2022 and held several meetings with the representatives of the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Co-Presidency of the UfM. The Secretary General first took part in a joint coordination meeting conveyed at the initiative of Princess Rym Al Ali and gathering the co-president of the UfM, both the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jordan, Ambassador Yousef Bataineh and Birgit Loeser, Head of MENA Region at the EU External… read more
7-8 April 2022, Paris – The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, visited Paris on 7 and 8 April 2022. He met with several officials from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic cell of the Elysée Palace. He also met with the ambassador Karim Amellal, Interministerial Delegate for the Mediterranean to discuss the follow-up of the “Forum des mondes méditerranéens” and in particular the “Plaidoyer 2030”, an advocacy work led by nearly 150 young people from the Mediterranean for a more sustainable and inclusive cooperation in the region. The Secretary General participated in the preview screening… read more
6 April 2022 – This multi-episode documentary, Mediterranean, Odyssey for Life, directed by Frédéric Fougea and narrated by Camélia Jordana and Guillaume Néry, will show the beauty of our shared sea through breathtaking footage and give a message of hope. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has been working on environmental and climate issues for many years and, as such, is very proud to have participated in this documentary, featuring an interview with the Secretary General. As an organisation working on regional cooperation, the goal is to raise awareness and build consensus among its Member States on how to respond to… read more
Barcelona, 30 March 2022 – The UfM Regional Platform on Transport Connectivity and its Thematic Working Groups on Land Transport, Air Transport, Maritime Transport and Logistics convened from 28 to 30 March 2022 online, to resume the preparations at the technical level for the 3rd UfM Ministerial Conference on Transport. As announced by the UfM Co-Presidency and the Egyptian representative on this occasion, it will be held in Cairo in early October 2022. In particular, the Working Groups discussed the consolidated version of the Regional Transport Action Plan for the Mediterranean region (RTAP) for the period 2021-2027, with a view to finalising… read more
Barcelona, 24 March 2022 – The UfM Working Group on Evaluation, Monitoring & Reporting Systems on Sustainable Urban Development convened its 4th meeting on 24 March 2022 online to highlight the importance of having available data for evidence-based urban policies. As a follow-up to previous discussions, main challenges and advancements in the implementation of the United Nations Statistical Commission methodology for delineation of cities and urban and rural areas for international and regional statistical comparison purposes, Degree of Urbanization (DGURBA) were presented, showcasing also the experience of Lebanon in applying it. The meeting was also an occasion to start discussing… read more
22 – 27 March. Access to water is a major challenge for the 21st century. Shortages, poor water quality or lack of sanitation facilities have a negative impact on food security, health, gender equality and the living conditions of the poor. The problems are numerous and complex: millions of people in the Mediterranean still lack access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation; there is an increasing competition between different water users and uses; and significant investments are needed to maintain and improve water infrastructure. The economic, financial and governance aspects of water resources management are usually at the heart of… read more
21 March 2022. Urban green spaces, such as parks, playgrounds, and residential greenery, can promote mental and physical health by reducing exposure to air pollutants, noise and excessive heat. The “Webinar on Urban Nature, Green Spaces and Health” organized jointly by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe on 21 March 2022, addressed the positive impacts of urban nature and green spaces on health and wellbeing, and highlighted good practices and perspectives for action towards more liveable and healthy cities. The webinar took stock of the latest evidence on the impacts of… read more
Groundwater resources are the main source of the water supply in many Mediterranean countries and are subjected to pressures resulting from unequal distribution, accessibility, and quality issues. Groundwater-intensive exploitation contributed to the decrease, deterioration, and disappearance of over 50% of wetlands during the past century. Wetlands’ ecosystem services are among the most productive habitats in the world. They can be considered as “biological supermarkets”, since they provide great volumes of food for many species, including humans. Yet, wetlands cover only between 1.7% to 2.4% of the total area of the Mediterranean coast. With a view to protecting Mediterranean wetlands, the… read more
In the Mediterranean region, there are over 80 million hectares of degraded land. More than 400,000 hectares of forests are burned each year and at least 16% of animal and plant species in Mediterranean forests are at risk of extinction due to environmental threats such as forest fires driven by climate change. Effective planning, implementation, and monitoring of large-scale programmes such as Forest Preservation and Landscape Restoration (FLR) are critical to achieving climate and restoration goals in the Mediterranean region. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Food Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) support a project to… read more
