16-21 September 2023, New York – UfM Secretary-General Nasser Kamel attended the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, where he highlighted the Union for the Mediterranean’s initiatives and solidified its partnerships with key UN institutions and agencies, including the UNDP. He also held meetings with several Foreign Affairs Ministers from Member States. The theme of the general debate this year was “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability for all.” António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, inaugurated the General Assembly… read more
22 September 2023 Marseille. The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, concluded the 6th edition of the “Mediterranée du Futur” Conference, organized by the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region on Friday, September 22, 2023, in Marseille. The theme of this 6th edition was “Every Drop Counts: Water is Life.” It brought together around 50 private and public actors from Euro-Mediterranean and international backgrounds to discuss water-related issues. It also pushed for the creation of a new macro-regional strategy to address common issues in the Mediterranean basin and strengthen the Mediterranean’s influence and visibility within the EU. The Secretary General also participated… read more
Led by the Government of Italy, in collaboration with the UfM and PRIMA, a session on the Mediterranean Diet and its lessons for the world, was held on 24 July in Rome, in the framework of the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment. On its margins, UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel participated as well in the high-level 4th Annual Summit of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East (ECAM). 24 July 2023, Rome – The UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment took place in Rome, Italy from 24 to 26 July 2023, at the premises… read more
July 2023, Barcelona – Research and innovation are key for innovating the Mediterranean economies and for employing its students and researchers. Structured dialogue between academia, business sector and policymakers is a powerful way to connect this sector more closely with the regional sustainable economy agenda. While the region experiences high rates of graduate unemployment, 32% of enterprises in some Southern Mediterranean countries have identified labour skill levels as a major constraint to hiring. With the support of the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has launched since 2020 a series of activities facilitating exchanges between the… read more
14 July 2023 – The Mediterranean Sea is host to 10.000 islands, 2.000 of which are home to stable dwellings, societies, economies, with two of them – Cyprus and Malta – being Island States. The UfM joined Islands the Local 2030 Partnership to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in Mediterranean Islands at the official side event at the 2023 UN High Level Political Forum on “Islands Leading on Localised SDG Implementation”, on 14 July 2023. As fragile and exposed ecosystems, and delicately balanced societies that express the positive potentials of such ecosystems, more than anyone else the Mediterranean Islands face… read more
16-17 July 2023, Algiers – The UfM with the support of the German Development Cooperation organized two workshops for Government and Private Sector stakeholders respectively in Algiers, each consisting of a basic course on Rules of Origin, transitional rules as well as information on specific Harmonized System Codes for the respective industries under the most pertinent agreements, including through training exercises. The workshops encompassed a training module for responsible staff officers from the Government with a more extensive conceptual and legal focus on the concept of rules of origin, in order to facilitate the stakeholder consultation process when conducting trade negotiations…. read more
The UfM High-Level Meeting on Skills in the Mediterranean recognized that the region has one of the youngest populations in the world and that skills are critical to leveraging the youth’s potential for bringing innovation and digitalisation to the dynamics of recovery, economic growth, decent work and social inclusion. Skilling, upskilling and reskilling boost employability, inclusiveness, competitiveness and growth, allowing to better address the challenges of technological and non-technological transformations such as green transition, demographic change, and digitalisation of the economy in the region, as well as addressing persistent issues of skill gaps and mismatches. Madrid, 12 July 2023. The… read more
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)’s 15th anniversary presents an ideal opportunity to take stock of what has been accomplished so far and reflect on the challenges facing the region in the years to come. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs from UfM Member States will convene on 27 November in Barcelona to engage in these discussions and explore the future prospects for the organization. Despite a turbulent regional and international context over the past 15 years, the UfM has endeavoured to foster exchange and connectivity, promote development and create a space for dialogue across the Mediterranean on issues that concern… read more
The UfM convened the 4th Meeting of the UfM Community of Practice (CoP) on Youth Employment in the Southern Mediterranean in Madrid on 11-12 July 2023, with another CoP Meeting planned for December 2023 in Turin, Italy. Composed mostly of young experts and entrepreneurs as well as UfM government representatives, the CoP made use of presentations, exchange of best practices, breakout discussions and a practical workshop on skills. Madrid, 11-12 July 2023. The UfM held its 4th Meeting of the UfM Community of Practice on Youth Employment in the Southern Mediterranean on 11-12 July 2023 in Madrid with the support… read more
6-7 June 2023, Fez, Morocco – UfM Deputy Secretary General in charge of Water, Environment and Blue Economy Almotaz Abadi met the Moroccan Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka in the margins of 3rd International Conference on Water and Climate (ICCS). In their meeting, they discussed the important role water and blue economy sectors are playing to mitigate the climate change impacts. The minister have briefed on the effect that Morrocco is doing to cope with the impact of the climate change specially their Plan on the Water Desalination as well the wastewater treatment and reuse to respond to the… read more
