• English
  • Français
  • العربية
Follow us
Union for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfM     Mediterranean Day
  • Who we are
    • Who we are

      The Union for the Mediterranean is an intergovernmental institution bringing together the European Union Member States and 16 countries from the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean to promote dialogue and cooperation.

      Overview   

    • Who we are

      • Member States
      • Meet the team
      • Partners
      • History
    • Key documents

      UfM Annual Report 2021 Regional Integration
  • What we do
    • Notre action

      The UfM seeks to enhance regional cooperation, dialogue and the implementation of concrete projects and initiatives with tangible impact on our citizens to address three strategic objectives: human development, stability and integration.

      Overview   

    • Inclusive Development

      • Economic Development and Employment
      • Higher Education & Research
      • Social & Civil Affairs

      Sustainable development

      • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
      • Transport & Urban Development
      • Energy & Climate Action
    • How we work

      • Political Framework
      • Regional Dialogue Platforms
      • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • The UfM Secretariat is the operational platform of the Union for the Mediterranean. The staff of the UfM is made of more than 17 nationalities working in a multicultural environment that fosters cooperation and intercultural communication and exchange.

    • Work with us

      • Vacancies
      • Secondments
      • Internships
      • Procurement
      • Roster of experts
  • Info center
    • Info center

      Find our latest press releases, press invitations, visual identity, key institutional documents, photos and other relevant information


      Download the UfM Visual Identity Guidelines and Logos (zip file)   

    • Info center

      • Media corner
      • News
      • Agenda
      • Publications and key documents
      • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
    • UfM in the Media

      6 March 2023 – Alghad.com – المؤتمر الدولي لمصادر المياه بعمان: تحديد للفرص القابلة للتنفيذ
      View article
      27 February 2023 – Huffington Post – “Nel Mediterraneo è sfida per l’energia, 250 progetti per portarla da Sud a Nord”
      View article
      18 February 2023 – The Jordan Times – Regional Transport Action Plan to propel shift towards sustainability — UfM official
      View article
      See more
  • Contact

New Deputy Secretary Generals take office at the Union for the Mediterranean

Barcelona, 10 September 2019. In accordance with the unanimous decision by the 43 Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean, Marisa Farrugia (Malta), Isidro Antonio González Afonso (Spain) and Grammenos Mastrojeni (Italy) have taken office as Deputy Secretary Generals of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).

  • Marisa Farrugia takes the position of Deputy Secretary General for Social and Civil Affairs

Marisa Farrugia is a Maltese diplomat who has held over the years senior positions at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion and abroad.  Prior to her secondment as Special Envoy and Ambassador to the Union for the Mediterranean at the Union’s Secretariat in August 2017, she was responsible for External Relations, Mediterranean Affairs, and the MENA Region.

Marisa Farrugia holds a PhD in Arabic and Near Eastern Studies from the University of Leeds and a Master’s Degree from the University of Toronto, Canada, majoring in international relations and the socio-political aspects of the Arab world.

  • Isidro González Afonso takes the position of Deputy Secretary General for Water, Environment and Blue economy

Isidro González Afonso is a Spanish career diplomat who has served the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation for the past eighteen years, holding positions as Counsellor and Senior Adviser in several Foreign Affairs Minister´s Cabinets in Madrid, and, lately, as Counsellor at the Embassy of Spain in Rabat, Morocco. 

He has also been a member of the Spanish OSCE Chairmanship Team in 2007 at the Permanent Mission of Spain to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna; Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Spain in Nicosia; and working for the Spanish diplomatic service in the Republic of Cyprus, Jerusalem and also Mauritania.

 Isidro González Afonso has a wide experience in the Mediterranean region, with a special focus on regional integration and negotiations for conflict management and resolution. He holds a degree in Political Science and Sociology from the Complutense University of Madrid and in Law from the UNED and a an Executive Master on Conflict Management and Resolution with the Department of Negotiations for Conflicts of Harvard University.

  • Grammenos Mastrojeni takes the position of Deputy Secretary General for Energy and Climate Action

Grammenos Mastrojeni is an Italian diplomat, professor and writer who has focused for the past 25 years on the societal, geo-strategic and economic impacts of environmental degradation, as well as on topics related to environmental protection, human cohesion, peace and security. He has taught sustainability and conflict resolution in various universities in Italy and abroad, and in 2009, the Ottawa University in Canada entrusted him with the first class by a University on the issue of Environment, resources and geostrategy. 

Formerly, until August 2019, he was the Coordinator for the Environment and Head of the Science-Policy Interface at the Italian Development Cooperation, heading Italian delegations on lands, water and oceans and joining negotiations on climate and biodiversity. Chair of the UN Mountain Partnership, and Co-Chair of the Global Islands Partnership, he is President of the largest Italian association for sustainable development education “Isola della Sostenibilità” and member of the Scientific Boards of numerous university courses and entities.

Author of numerous articles and official reports on the environment, he published 8 books including “Greenhouse effect, war effect”, written together with the climatologist Antonello Pasini (Chiarelettere, 2017), and “The Ark of Noah – Saving together our Common Home” that ranked as best-selling essays. Among his publications there are also “The indissoluble cycle. Peace, environment, development and freedom in the global balance” (Vita e Pensiero, 2002); “The necessary eco-revolution” (Italian Scientific Editions, 2008); “Now or never. A decade, and not beyond, to save ourselves and the Earth” (Amazon, 2016).

The UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, has expressed his gratitude to the outgoing Deputy Secretary Generals, Jorge Borrego (Energy and Climate Action), Miguel García-Herraiz (Water, Environment and Blue Economy) and Laurence Païs (Civil and Social Affairs) for the commitment, remarkable work and leadership that have brought them to achieve significant results for the region in their respective areas of work.

The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean is assisted by six Deputy Secretary Generals in charge of six operational divisions: Social and Civil Affairs; Business Development; Energy and Climate Action; Transport and Urban Development; Water, Environment and Blue Economy; and Higher Education and Research. Three Deputy Secretary Generals are nominated by UfM-EU countries and three by UfM Southern and Eastern countries. Their appointment is agreed upon by consensus by all the Member States for a three-years term, renewable once.

Share this:

Latest news

The UfM Regional Platform on Employment and Labour convenes its 14th meeting
17 / 03 / 2023
UfM Grant Scheme to promote employment and entrepreneurship in the Green Economy
15 / 03 / 2023
See more

Agenda

UfM and the European Investment Bank partner for training in Cairo
20 / 03 / 2023
UN 2023 Water Conference: UfM-led side event ‘Water Finance in the Mediterranean’
23 / 03 / 2023
See more

Who we are

  • Member States
  • Meet the team
  • Partners
  • History

What we do

  • Economic Development & Employment
  • Higher Education & Research
  • Social & Civil Affairs
  • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
  • Transport & Urban Development
  • Energy & Climate Action

How we work

  • Political Framework
  • Regional Dialogue Platforms
  • Projects and Initiatives

Work with us

  • Vacancies
  • Secondments
  • Internships
  • Procurement
  • Roster of experts

Info centre

  • Media corner
  • News
  • Agenda
  • Publications and key documents
  • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
  • Photo gallery
  • Video gallery
Co-financé par l'Union européenne  -  Cookie Privacy  |  Privacy Privacy  |  Legal notice
  • Who we are
    • Member States
    • Meet the team
    • Partners
    • History
  • What we do
    • Economic Development and Employment
    • Higher Education & Research
    • Social & Civil Affairs
    • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
    • Transport & Urban Development
    • Energy & Climate Action
  • How we work
    • Political Framework
    • Regional Dialogue Platforms
    • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • Vacancies
    • Secondments
    • Internships
    • Procurement
    • Roster of experts
  • Info centre
    • Media center
    • News
    • Agenda
    • Publications and key documents
  • Contact
  • Social media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Linkedin
    • Flickr
  • English
  • Français
  • العربية
  • English
  • Français
  • العربية
Union for the Mediterranean – UfM
/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in Megamenu – Latest Ufm in the news - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in Megamenu – Latest Ufm in the news - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Content template for Posts - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Content template for Posts - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in NewsRoom – Related News (Sidebar) - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in NewsRoom – Related News (Sidebar) - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */

 

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.


3rd Party Cookies

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Cookies Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Read more

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!