Youth and civil society commit to strengthening practical cooperation and development in the Mediterranean

On 22-23 May 2019 in Barcelona, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) hosted the Regional Conference “Shared Views on key issues in the Mediterranean” in collaboration with the Instituto de la Juventud (InJuve), the Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).  The conference brought together more than 100 representatives of the civil society and youth organisations to discuss how to best address environmental, educational, societal and economic challenges faced by the Euro-Mediterranean region and propose recommendations to foster more aligned cooperation amongst the region’s countries.

With over 60% of its population under the age of 30, the Euro-Mediterranean is one of the youngest regions in the world. The UfM has therefore placed youth at the heart of its actions, focusing on building a positive agenda for youth in the Mediterranean and engaging young people as full partners in its activities.

The discussions held during the Regional Dialogue and the recommendations and project proposals drawn from the exchanges will feed the UfM Strategy for Youth and will also be presented as suggestions and project proposals to contribute to the Marseille Summit of the Two Shores (24 June 2019) by putting forward the views of youth and civil society of all UfM countries on key priorities for the region.

“This Regional Dialogue serves as a stepping stone towards proposing more aligned and impactful initiatives in the Mediterranean, which will adequately address environmental, social and economic challenges”, said UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel. “We must continue to act together to truly deliver on our commitments and amplify our results. Our goal through this Forum, is to combine the efforts of the 5+5 Dialogue with broader regional efforts while putting forward the views of our future generations”, he added.

The exchanges over the course of the two-day forum served to establish the following action areas:

Environment, Water, Energy and Sustainable development

Youth Employment and Social economy and inclusion of youth and women

Rethinking Education