Capacity-building programme to develop bankable sustainable urban projects in the Mediterranean
29 January 2026, Córdoba. The Mediterranean basin is among the world’s fastest-urbanising regions, with 60% of its population already living in cities. As urban populations continue to grow, the region faces significant environmental, social and economic challenges. Rapid—and often unplanned—urban expansion has contributed to the degradation of historic city centres, putting cultural heritage, urban landscapes and the region’s distinctive identity at risk. To enable cities to serve as drivers of sustainability, innovation, social inclusion and wellbeing, sound project ideas are essential—along with the capacity to turn them into implementable initiatives. This transformation requires adequate financing. Projects must therefore be bankable.
To respond to this challenge, the UfM and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) joined forces, with the support of GNE Finance, to launch a Capacity-Building Programme designed to equip public authorities from selected Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries with the skills and knowledge needed to develop bankable sustainable urban projects. Teams of public officials working on eight project proposals from Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and Lebanon have been selected to participate in the 12-month programme. Combining in-person workshops with online mentoring, the programme is designed to enhance investment readiness, strengthen technical capacities, and promote peer-to-peer learning and cooperation among participating authorities.
Among all policy interventions, urban policy offers some of the most significant opportunities to deliver positive outcomes for society, the economy and the environment. By investing in sustainable urban development, the Mediterranean region can address pressing challenges, accelerate climate action and build a resilient, integrated future that benefits all citizens.
The capacity-building programme takes place within the broader framework of the UfM Urban Agenda. Adopted in 2017, the UfM Urban Agenda provides a strategic, long-term vision for sustainable urbanisation in the Mediterranean and supports the creation of resilient and inclusive cities by reducing inequalities, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Third UfM Ministerial Conference on Sustainable Urban Development, held in Zagreb on 4 May 2023, updated the political mandate, identified priorities, and endorsed the UfM Strategic Urban Development Action Plan 2040, which aims to operationalise the objectives of the UfM Urban Agenda through coordinated and integrated actions that strengthen urban development strategies across the region.
