The UfM approves the adoption of three new projects

Barcelona, 23 July 2012. The Senior Officials of the 43 country members of the UfM approved during their latest Senior Officials Meeting, held in Barcelona last 28 June, the adoption of three important projects to be promoted by the Environment & Water, the Higher Education and Research, and the Civil and Social Affairs divisions of the UfM.

The new Euro-Mediterranean University of Fes (EMUF) will be an International centre of Higher Education and Research with a specific focus on Euro-Mediterranean issues and priorities. The first priority programs of EMUF will be: 1) History, Cultural Heritage and Civilizations of the Mediterranean; 2) Political and Economic Sciences and Law; and 3) Solar Energy and related fields in Material Engineering. The construction of the University will commence in 2013, with its inauguration set to take place in 2015. The completion of the EMUF structure will be finalized in 2018, when the buildings and the implementation of all education and research programs are completed. By 2024, the University will accommodate around 3000 students from across the region. The project was submitted by the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Executive Training of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The project “Skills for Success – Employability Skills for Women” was submitted by AMIDEAST, a private non-profit organization, and is addressed at young, disadvantaged and unemployed women with completed secondary school education. The program will contribute towards the development of the participants’ global communication abilities via targeted English language training and enhanced professional skills, including computer and business skills development and job search tools and advice. Its aim is to assist participants in acquiring the knowledge, skills and tools needed to enter today´s challenging job market, as well as enhance women´s role as active members of society. The project’s pilot phase will be implemented in the capitals of Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.

The project entitled “Overcoming governance challenges to the mobilisation of financing for the Mediterranean water sector” will focus on assessing the opportunities and institutional and regulatory challenges arising from public-private partnerships (PPPs) in water infrastructure, as a tool in the hand of policy makers to managing water resources and financing services in an effective, sustainable and affordable manner.  Stemming from the assessment, it will provide a diagnosis of the key governance and capacity building bottlenecks that impede the financing and of the mechanisms to overcome them, in the form of a set of operational guidance and a compendium of good practices. The project, to run over three years, is promoted jointly by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Global Water Partnership- Mediterranean (GWP-Med), and will involve five countries in its first phase with an overall budget of 2 Million Euros: Lebanon, Tunisia, Jordan, Albania and Palestine. The project has the financial support of the EIB. The promoters and the UfM Secretariat will mobilize other donors for the remaining financing needs.