Towards a Common Development Agenda for the Mediterranean

Palacio de Congresos de Catalunya, Barcelona, 26 November 2015

Three years after the European Union and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan assumed the Co-Presidency of the Union for the Mediterranean –launched in 2008 in Paris-, and twenty years exactly after the Barcelona Declaration launched the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, a UfM Conference “Towards a common Development Agenda for the Mediterranean”, will be held on 26th of November 2015 in Barcelona.

In the context of the increasing magnitude of the common challenges in the Mediterranean region and the recent presentation of the reviewed European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), the Conference will offer a timely opportunity to discuss the way forward for a strengthened regional cooperation agenda in the Mediterranean.

High level officials, eminent personalities, representatives from regional organisations and international financial institutions, as well as key regional stakeholders from the civil society, the private sector and local authorities will review the UfM activities and achievements and will discuss the perspectives for working together in the years to come towards a better future for the Mediterranean region.

The Conference will shed light on the ways to promote a result-oriented UfM common agenda through effective and coordinated action to the benefit of the socio-economic development of the region.

Format

The conference will start with a high level introductory session setting the vision for the way forward in the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. The event will then be structured around three thematic panels, each corresponding to the three main operational objectives of the UfM Secretariat:

• Inclusive growth and youth employability
• Sustainable development
• Women’s empowerment

This conference is envisaged to become an annual UfM gathering bringing together the main regional actors that work to promote sustainable development in the Mediterranean.

Tentative Programme

Read tentative programme