• 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 15 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   

    • Human 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

      24 June 2022- Express FM: لقاء مع السفير ناصر كامل، أمين عام الاتحاد من أجل المتوسط على هامش منتدى تونس للاستثمار
      View article
      19 May 2022- 2M-Edition Spéciale-Nasser Kamel insiste sur l´importance de s´adapter aux nouvelles réalités de l´emploi.
      View article
      10 May 2022- Ad-Dustour- أمين عام الاتحاد من أجل المتوسط: ارتفاع منسوب البحر سيخفي ملايين الهكتارات
      File Download document
      View article
      See more
  • Contact

International Youth Day: investing in youth is investing in development and stability

Social & Civil Affairs
  • Representing nearly 60% of the total population, young people constitute one of the greatest assets for stability and development in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
  • The new action-oriented Roadmap of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is centred on young people’s potential to promote stability and development.
  • Over 15 regional cooperation projects are endorsed by the UfM to empower youth, targeting directly more than 100,000 young men and women in the region.

11 August.- Young men and women are a source of creativity, innovation and positive change if an enabling environment is provided to facilitate their full participation. They are the region’s most valuable asset and must be at the heart of the Mediterranean agenda. Young people play an important role in energising development, growth, poverty reduction and societal wellbeing, as well as in fostering regional cooperation and integration. Their active participation in intercultural exchanges and dialogue is key. Young people in both the North and the South are ambassadors of the shared values that we seek to advocate and promote; they are the promise of a better future.

Almost 60% of the regional population is currently under the age of 30, and the number of young people under the age of 15 is forecast to increase by over 18% by 2020. 2.8 million young people enter the job market each year in the region. However, with an average of about 30% youth unemployment and around 50% for young women, the region has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. The International Labour Organisation estimates that the region’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) could increase by $25 billion by 2018 if the youth unemployment rate is cut by half.

In this context, the UfM embraces the celebration of International Youth Day under the theme “Youth Building Peace” to underline the urgent need to enhance the untapped capacities of young people for the socio-economic development and stability of both shores of the Mediterranean.

Youth is at the core of the UfM’s regional strategy. Under the active leadership of the UfM Co-Presidency held by the EU and Jordan, the UfM offers a unique platform for regional cooperation based on common strategies that represent the commitment of its 43 Member States to a regional agenda for peace, stability, inclusive growth and sustainable development. Concrete and tangible results have been achieved by the UfM and its partners in the region:

  • Political Forum/Ministerial meetings: at the 2nd UfM Regional Forum, held in Barcelona last January under the theme “Mediterranean in Action: Youth for Stability and Development”, UfM Foreign Affairs Ministers agreed to launch a Positive Agenda for Youth in the Mediterranean through facilitating higher education, vocational education and training (VET), employability, health, youth empowerment and mobility, and mainstreaming gender equality, thus promoting social inclusiveness.
  • Regional Policy Platforms: structured regional dialogues on topics such as employment, women’s empowerment, education, youth employability and mobility regularly involve an important network for cooperation in the Mediterranean including international organisations, parliamentarians, civil society organisations, international financial institutions, development agencies, private sector representatives, universities and think tanks. These platforms follow up on decisions taken at the Ministerial level, thereby ensuring implementation of concrete initiatives and projects on the ground such as the Mediterranean Initiative for Jobs (Med4Jobs).
  • Regional Cooperation Projects: the main objectives of over 15 of the 47 UfM-labelled projects are empowering young people and enhancing their capabilities, skills and economic inclusion. The activities range from promoting entrepreneurship and access to finance to vocational training, employability, mobility and social engagement. Of the 200,000 beneficiaries directly targeted by UfM-labelled projects, more than 100,000 are young men and women.

In the words of UfM Secretary General, Fathallah Sijilmassi: “It is unfair to limit our region only to the negative dimensions. It would be an injustice to the millions of Mediterranean young people whose daily achievements are remarkable in so many fields. They are the very people, in the South and in the North, who represent the best assets and success stories of the region. They must be at the centre of a positive agenda for the Mediterranean.”

More Information:

Some of the flagship projects specifically targeting young people are:

  • Mediterranean Initiative for Jobs (Med4Jobs)
  • Forming Responsible Citizens: promoting citizenship education to prevent school violence, particularly against girls and women
  • New Chance Mediterranean Network – MedNC
  • Higher Education on Food Security & Rural Development
  • Euro-Mediterranean University of Fes
  • Eastern Mediterranean International School

 

Share this:

Latest news

UfM Secretary General participates in the UN Ocean Summit in Lisbon, Portugal
29 / 06 / 2022
UfM Ministers launch a new Research and Innovation Agenda for the Mediterranean region
27 / 06 / 2022
See more

Agenda

Joint Webinar on Environment and Health in Seaport Cities,
04 / 07 / 2022
5th meeting of the UfM Permanent Working Group on Evaluation, Monitoring and Reporting Systems on Sustainable Urban Development,
04 / 07 / 2022
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!