12/10/2016 (Agence Europe) – At its headquarters in Barcelona on 10-11 October, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) secretariat held the 3rd high-level conference on women’s empowerment – "Women for the Mediterranean: Driving force for development and stability". Around 250 participants, including ministers, from more than 30 countries underlined "the need to invest in the essential contribution of women as a response to the current Mediterranean challenges" (growth, extremism and radicalisation as well as migration challenges, according to a press release). This event also provided the opportunity to launch the second phase of the UfM-UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation) project – "Promoting women’s empowerment for inclusive and sustainable industrial development in the MENA region [Middle East and North Africa]". (FB)